


Mydriasis

by Owlyabun



Series: Muses & Artists [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Artists finding their muses~, Body Dysphoria, College!AU, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Muse!Au, So many characters..
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-09-28
Packaged: 2018-05-23 00:03:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6098309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Owlyabun/pseuds/Owlyabun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If you ask nude model, “Why are you doing that?” what will they answer? Why are they staying willingly naked in front of a small group of people who're actively drawing each inch of their bodies, as they're posing in a more or less usual pose? Well a few of them might respond “Because of the money” or “I was asked to do it so... why not”.<br/>However, it wasn't the case of Nishinoya Yû.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone ♫  
> This is my first fanfic for the Haikyû fandom and I hope It won't be the last aha. English isn't my mother's tongue so you might find some mistakes and I'm sorry about that, feel free to tell me about them. 
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this piece of AsaNoya freshly made from fluff, a bit angst, and fluff again. It'll probably be the main ship, but don't worry I have other ships in mind ♪.
> 
> This fic was inspired by an amazing friend of mine ! Thank you Lippy !!

It all started with a chat he had with his best friend.

  
Tanaka Ryûnosuke was one of the few people who knew Nishinoya's secret, so he tried his best to help, even if he usually only made things worse. But “it’s the thought that counts”, and the problem, the fact that he hated his body, wasn’t one that could be easily solved.  
Of course he didn't care what people thought, other than Tanaka and his sister. It wasn't the same hate that most people might have, wondering if they had to diet or start a club activity to get into shape. It was more serious. He hated his body so much he covered the mirror in his bathroom so he wouldn't have to look at himself. It was only a month ago that he allowed himself to use a small mirror when he was shaving or styling his hair. His roommate was used to the strange ritual and didn't complain about it. Luckily he was pretty understanding and open-minded about a lot of things.  
One day, while they were making gyoza for that night’s dinner, his best-friend was struck with inspiration.

  
“Bro, why don't you become a nude model?” He started with his eyes full of confidence, believing it to be one of his best ideas after the “Why don't you try to become an idol” one. Well, both had the same aim. Nishinoya would have to show himself in front of people, and he didn't really like even the idea of it. He sighed and kept cutting the dough in with the circular cutter.

  
“I don't think...that’s a good idea Ryû..”

  
“C'mon, you haven't even tried! Ok, the last idea I gave you wasn't very good and I understand why you said it was the shittiest I could have thought of.” The taller man became silent for a moment, planning his next words carefully. He felt like a lawyer, and his friend was the judge who would have the last word... He had to convince him.

  
“Listen, Saeko told me about her friend who's doing it, and she said it helped her become more confident in herself, and accept her body shape and-”

  
“And then there’s the money.” Nishinoya cut in. But he quickly regretted interrupting when Tanaka's hand, full of the gyoza's stuffing, covered his mouth. He made a weird face and took a towel to clean the mess of raw meat and vegetables with a whiff of sesame oil off his face. He wanted to fight back, but a food fight would only dirty the kitchen. And he knew how much his roommate was going to kill him if he started even a small one. ‘ _I can't take that risk_ ’, he thought as he wiped off his hands. Obviously, he knew that the girl probably didn't just do it for money, Saeko's friends weren't those kind of girls. Maybe she was just looking for something that would help her loving herself. But would he get the same results? Would he finally find a way to accept his body? After all it wasn't like he was going to be surrounded by mirrors. Seeing his reflection via paper and pencil would surely look different, right? He didn't know.

  
“No, but seriously Yû. Listen, I have known you since so long I can't remember. And I care for you. And I know how shitty your way of seeing yourself can be. I just want you to be happy.”  
“Bro, I’m happy, and I like the life I'm living.” He shrugged and smiled at Tanaka. “I'm not depressed or anything like that, I just don't like my body. It's not the end of the world, I can still get out of bed every morning.”

  
The kitchen fell silent, and since they were both done prepping they sat on the couch in the living room, waiting for Nishinoya's roommate to come home. Tanaka often came to eat with them, since he knew how exhausted his friends were at the end of the week. That's why he decided to self-appoint himself the 'Chef on Friday nights’, and he always cooked delicious and fresh handmade diners for them. Nonetheless, the Chef was in a pinch. He had lost count of how many ideas Nishinoya had already shot down. To be honest he'd love to know the real reason behind his friend's hatred toward his body. He wasn't especially hideous, well-built with some muscle here and there, a pretty face and nice voice. Actually it annoyed him sometimes, he wished he could be of more use. But he promised him that he'd always respect his choices and wait til the day Nishinoya would tell him the truth. That's why he was his best friend.

  
“That's scary.” A small murmur escaped from the brunet's lips. “Being naked in front of people I don't know…”

  
“Do you want...me to come with you? With two Apollos like us at their drawing class they'd have to feel lucky.”

  
Silence again, but not for long. They both burst out laughing

  
“Seriously Ryû?! Like you and me naked? I saw you in the shower more times than I’d like and don’t fancy going to the onsen with you... no homo bro.” Nishinoya said as he tried his best to get his breath back.  
“Ok ok, they will never see the perfection that is my body then. But, Yû. Why don't you give a try? I'm being serious here, if you want me to go with you I can.”

  
“And what if it doesn't work? I could just feel even worse by the end of it.” A hint of fear could be heard in his voice as he pressed his knees against his chest and rested his chin atop them. “Last time I went in public wearing clothes that... fitted me, I threw up remember?"

  
“Then I'll apologize and try to make you feel better again. Like I always do because I'm your best friend” He said proudly, taking what looked like a victory pose. “And I’ve never failed to make you smile so far.”  
Nishinoya looked at his feet and exhaled loudly. He didn't know how to say no to him, he really envied how optimistic and sure of himself Tanaka was. He was a lucky man and he knew that. He didn't care if he'd to hate his body for the rest if his life as long as he had his friends with him. “Ok.” He declared after smacking his palms on both cheeks. “I'll do it bro. Just for you.” He added as he pointed him with a grin. “But if this fails, you won't bring up any new suggestions until next month.”

  
“Alright !” Tanaka yelled happily as he lifted the smaller man in the air in a re-enactment of the opening scene from the Lion King. Both sang what sounded like the battle victory tune from Final Fantasy XVII. And with perfect timing Nishinoya's roommate opened the door and caught them in their small celebration. He stared at them and slowly closed the door with the surprised expression apparently frozen on his face.

  
“No Tadashi come back!!”

  
“Yeah it’s not what it looks like bro!!”

  
No reply.

  
“We made Gyoza!!” They yelled together.

  
The door opened again.


	2. Shy Apollo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my two Bêtas Ramen & Avery ! 
> 
> Well I hope you'll like this chapter too, thanks for your comments and kudos ♫  
> Also for those who have a tumblr but not an AO3 account here is mine : http://palapipu-hiro.tumblr.com/  
> I'll keep you inform when the new chapter is out ! (Feel free to talk to me if you want~ )
> 
> Enjoy~ :D

 It was 8am when the raven-head woke up, they had eaten so much yesterday he was amazed that he had been able to reach his bed and not just give up and sleep on the couch, which was what Yamaguchi had done. Recently, the chef of Friday night was trying italian food, pizza, risotto, torta della nonna, so many delicious dishes which found their places in the trio's tummies.

 Slowly rubbing his eyes while yawning loudly, he stared at the ceiling. Nowadays, he realized how normal it was for people to dislike their bodies. With what society expected them to look like and what reality was, most of them found a big gap between the two. Magazines, TV series, celebrities, so many fake models that only made you realize that you were different. And being different in a modern world wasn't a good thing.

He looked at his phone absent-mindly, seeing three messages, one from Tanaka, another from Tanaka’s sister, and the last was from one of his co-workers. He opened the third one first, a little surprised that he had his phone number.

>Hello Nishinoya, I'm sorry to ask this of you but you're my last option. Could you take my schedule for tonight with Tanaka? I sprained my ankle yesterday and it seems more serious than I expected... I'm at the hospital atm and the doctor refuses to let me go until he checks it.

 As he read the message he grabbed his small planner, nothing planned for tonight. However, he had an appointment at the Art college around 3pm. Maybe he would need some mental training again. ' _I wonder if Shôyo is busy today. He is in the art section too, maybe I'll see him.._.'

>Hey there Iwaizumi! I'm sorry for you, that sucks! Hope you'll get back soon then. No worries about tonight, you should rest like your doctor said! Eat an apple a day keep the doctor awaaay :)

 One final yawn and he headed to the shower. After he had covered the mirror with a towel he took off his oversized pajamas and started his morning ritual, which mainly consisted of looking at his body in details and thinking about why he hated this part or that part of him. Well he _was_ supposed to find something that he didn't hate that much, anyway. It was an exercise he found in a book about self acceptance, which was how he accepted his face after many weeks. He looked at his legs, he hated how short they were. He couldn't grab things that were too high, always needing to ask someone to get it or to climb onto something, and even if he had a good stamina and was really fast that wasn't good enough for him. He went on until he noticed the time, 8:30am, he wasn't the only one who showered in the morning, he had to move his butt. Hot water running down the body he repulsed so much. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

 His height was also bothering him, because of his 1 meter and 59 centimeters -thanks to his hairstyle- everything seemed so huge. Even if "small" people weren't rare among the Japanese, sometimes he couldn't stand to be next to Tanaka or Yamaguchi.

 Both were two huge beings and being hugged by them made you feel like a kid, especially when his best friend put his head on Nishinoya’s and probably cried more than him, whereas Yamaguchi's way of hugging was completely different, he had only embraced him twice in their long cohabitation. First, he placed his hands behind his back, drawing small circles at the same time so it would help his roommate relax, he didn't come too close and with his long arms it was easy for him. Second, when Nishinoya had calmed down and only at that moment, he gently ruffled his hair and placed his forehead against the other one, eyes closed and slow breaths. And finally, when he seemed better, that precious huge being smiled and asked if he wanted tea or something. He'd remember those precious hugs for a long time, and when Nishinoya needed something or someone, but not too overbearing, Yamaguchi would be there to help him.

 He couldn't help but smile at how lucky he was to have two amazing friends like them. Once he was done with his shower he rinsed the shower stall with cold water so it would be easier to clean. Yamaguchi told him it was related with the hardness of water or something. Actually, if he thought about it, one part of his roommate that was a bit hard to deal with was his clean-freak side... but who was he to criticise? After all Yamaguchi had beared with the smaller man's handicap and never complained.

He wrapped his hair in a towel and did the same with his body. Now that he looked like a burrito he decided to brush his teeth and wait until he dried completely. 

 The worst thing when you didn't like your body was all the comparisons, and Nishinoya kept doing that when he was in his 'shitty mode', he would look around him, seeing different kinds of people, different shapes, sizes, faces, and with each one he analyzed thoroughly, he always found them better than him. Obviously he was biased, but who wasn't? He got in a fight with Tanaka once, and since that incident he noticed a change in his best friend’s behavior, he became more...caring. He knew that the other man wanted to be informed of the real reason behind his hatred, he wasn't stupid. Given that Nishinoya wasn't ready to confess, every time Tanaka wanted to ask, he would just keep silent and look at his hands.

 "I'll wait all the time I need to wait Bro, even if I have to wait until Saeko gets married. I won't force you to tell me, it's useless if it's not coming from your heart. I’ll just wait. So sorry if sometimes I really look like I wanna know...Because I do wanna know..." He told him, and then it was Nishinoya who hugged him and not the other way.

 Teeth brushed and face smiling, he was wearing an oversized black hoodie with a roaring tiger on its back surrounded with colorful flowers. The pattern was embroidered and it was one of Nishinoya's favorites. He discovered that he liked the kind of clothes called 'Wagara', though it costed an arm and a leg, he had a few in his closet. He found it important to have a link with his japanese roots, and that style was perfect since it was mixing the traditional pattern you could find on kimonos with modern clothes like T-shirts and jackets.

 His phone was showing 9:13 when he got out of the bathroom and found his roommate on the couch trying his best not to fall asleep again. As Nishinoya was always the first to wake up, Yamaguchi would have to wait until he was done. He slowly poked his roommate’s cheek and it woke him up a bit.

 "I'm done!" he declared as he passed him the gel container and sat next to his sleepy friend. A few seconds after he felt Yamaguchi's long fingers sliding along his dark hair, slowly but surely helping to style his hair. Nishinoya hummed when he looked at the result with his small pocket mirror. He liked when someone else did his hair, it wasn't the same when he did it himself. More messy. "Good job Tadashi!" He thanked him with a thumbs-up. "Now I'll make breakfast, shoo shoo!"

 "Hmmmmm." The other replied then got up, his hands sticky with the gel container in front of him and he reminded the smaller man of a T-rex, or maybe Frankenstein. He watched him head to the bathroom, walking unsteadily.

 After breakfast, both started talking about the upcoming day. Today he would have to go to the drawing class as Nishinoya had started being a nude model since five sessions ago, and he felt a small difference compared to before. Of course he wasn't ready to wear clothes that fit him, or to look at himself in the bathroom mirror, not yet. But on the other hand, he started to accept compliments, even if some were a little exaggerated. He would accept them with a smile and then think about it before going to sleep.

 The first session was a disaster. He couldn't resolve himself to take off his underwear and felt like an oddity to the eyes of the students. He almost hyperventilated and passed out when one of them asked him if he could take a pose from a sculpture he, of course, didn't know. The beginner was more than thankful when the art teacher put the session on hold and explained to them that he had absolutely zero experience in art or posing. He was also glad to know how kind and understanding the students were.

 Being a nude model wasn't as easy as he thought. When he entered the drawing room he was amazed by the amount of furniture, a few people were already here, sitting behind their easels, papers and pencils ready. They talked quietly amongst themselves but stopped when they noticed Nishinoya. And then he felt so small, even if he acted as usual all smiling and energetic, as he changed and became the nude model of the session. When he found himself behind the easel partially naked, he became so silent he could hear them breathing. His heartbeat was loud and erratic and he felt his face getting hotter by the minute.

Regardless of that first impression he had left, he improved! Now he didn't have a problem being all naked and he even talked with the students or the teacher instead of staying near the window and texting Tanaka about how he'll probably die of embarrassment. Some of them even gave him their sketches. He always kept them and sometimes he would show them to Tanaka.

 Yamaguchi was running late and he got ready hastily.

 “Say, why you don't go to the drawing class?” Nishinoya noticed as he pondered about the awkwardness they would feel if it happened.

 “Well I do have drawing classes but they're not the average ones... Speaking of that, one of the model I have is always saying I'm drawing like … a highschooler.” Yamaguchi sighed, making a face that showed how it affected him. He knew he wasn't good at drawing which was why he didn't mind going to the special class. “Hands are hard to draw.” He added in a whine.

 “C'mon, I'm sure it's not that bad! And you'll get better. Who's that bastard who dared say that to you?! I'm sure he can't even hold a pen.” Nishinoya hissed as he passed him his coat and scarf.

 “Hmm, I don't even know his name, but dammit he’s taller than me!” He explained. “Well, see you tonight, you work til late?”

 “Not that late, I'll be back for dinner.” The smaller man beamed.

 “Okay then, later!”

 “Bye, and kick his ass if that guy says shitty things again!” He advised, hearing a small giggle before the door closed.

 

 His morning was calm and quiet, nothing planned until the middle of the afternoon when he had the drawing class and then his job. He was working as a security guard and in this month's planning he had to provide safety and prevent any incidents in the mall where Saeko was working. It was hard to imagine him working with Tanaka in that field for when they were together people often forgot his presence, not that it annoyed him. But Tanaka knew that between them, Nishinoya was the one people should be aware of. He was agile and could knock down anyone in a blink of the eye. Well he had a great mentor. Few years ago when he applied for the job, he was motivated by the desire to become stronger. Security guard included patrol mostly, since he had a huge amount of stamina it wasn't a big deal. He took self defense classes with his mentor, a huge, robust yet kind guy named Aone Takanobu. Sometimes he could even practice with the chief of his group where during these exchanges he his quick reactions were frequently praised. Well, being small and having to always fight huge guys was good training. He got used to that. Nevertheless, he never had the opportunity to fight an opponent seriously. Most of the time, they were patrolling shops or special events, and they rarely arrested people. Not that he wanted to jeopardize his life.

 After lunch he took a quick nap on the couch, well his way of considering a quick nap wasn't the usual 30 minute kind since they were at least an hour long. His buzzing phone woke him up, it was Tanaka asking which kind of spice he should use in a sweet and sour recipe. Absent-mindedly he replied gochujang, which was a korean pepper paste. So far he had tasted a few korean dishes and most of them had that ingredient. I'm sure he'll be able to make something edible, he thought. He stretched his arms and legs and then opened his laptop. Before going to the session, he always made sure his art knowledge wasn't as non-existent as it used to be. Contrapposto, Greek deities, usual sculpture poses, must-know painters, he tried his best and at his current state he admitted he was proud of his improvement. Whilst he was writing the new information he found on his notebook, the weather outside changed and soon it was raining and windy.

 As a result, when he arrived at the art college, his hairstyle was ruined as he didn't own an umbrella. He rubbed his cold hands together and blew on them his hot breath, the way from his apartment was more bustling than usual, it was more tiring for Nishinoya. The bus was suffocating, people were so close to him he smelt their perfumes, and all these different scents only made him more nauseous. The mere memory of that twenty-five minute trip made him shiver as he headed to the art room.

 “Did you catch a cold Nishinoya?” A concerned voice asked. Nishinoya turned over and saw the art teacher with his worried face on, frowned eyebrows and crossed arms. “Don't overdo it, if you're sick you should go back home, take some medicine and rest...and if you pose naked it'll only make it worse!”

 “Hello Suga!” He greeted as he took the towel he had in his bag and started drying his hair. “I'm not sick, so no worries!”

 “Hmm..” Sugawara tilted his head and tried to look for any symptoms that would indicate a sick person, but he didn't find any. “Alright, but if you feel sick you can just tell me.”

 “No worries, I said! And again, thank you for letting me doing that model thing. I appreciate it.” The smaller man almost whispered the last part, but he knew he had been heard. His hair was down, covering his eyes.

 Since the beginning, Sugawara had been really supportive of him. It was Saeko's friend who had introduced them and even if he was inexperienced, he gave him a chance. Even allowing him a second try after the failure of the first one.

 “It's alright, and the students seem to like your body. You're a lively model and they appreciate that. ” The silver head explained with a gentle smile.

 Both kept talking about average subjects, mostly art related, though the room was already full and they were all waiting for their teacher and the model of the day. Nishinoya went behind the curtain next to the scene and got naked, he wrapped his body in the clean sheet and breathed slowly. Today's subject was the fold, Sugawara always found interesting themes. Once he found a bow and he had to mimic some fighting pose with it, he was more than happy when his audience praised his arm muscles, saying they wouldn't like to get in a fight with him. ' _I guess I can take a Greek pose, it might fit the subject_ ' Nishinoya dwelt as he showed himself. After the greeting, he became quiet and sat on the floor, his pose was simple, but the sheet's fold probably made it harder to draw. He was inspired by the “Dying Gaul” roman sculpture of a greek one, he found it extremely delicate even for its simplicity.

 Today's session was a long one, which meant he had to pose only once or twice, but for hours. Of course he had a break between, but it was hard for him to stay still. Even if he was focused, he couldn't help looking around but only his eyes moved so Sugawara didn't scold him, and anyway they were hidden behind his bangs. He glimpsed every student's face, most of them were frowning, some had their tongues out, others didn't move and just stared at Nishinoya. And then they finally started to draw frenetically. Suddenly, his hazel orbs couldn't move and he was the one staring intensely. 'Here he is again...'

 “He” was that art student that caught Nishinoya's attention since the first session, always sitting nearest the scene he was posing on. He was the one who requested a pose he wasn't able to make, and he was the one that looked the most out of context in a nude drawing class. If you met him in the street you would probably look down and walk faster. However, Nishinoya never judged people by their appearances. And from what he heard from the students or from his own observations, that guy seemed really nice. He didn't know the other man's name and didn't want to ask. After all he would probably end being a nude model some day or another, he didn't find any reason to get close to the students there.

 That was the official version, the unofficial one was : he found him so attractive he didn't know how he could interest the other man with his body, he felt inferior just by looking at the other's body when he stood up. Well-built, broad-shouldered, long and muscular legs, tanned skin that looked soft, and dammit, when he rolled up his sleeves or was wearing short sleeved shirts the nude model wondered if he could ever be more attractive. Unfortunately for him, his Apollo could, with that perfect face he had. One of his ears was pierced with a conch piercing, a dark blue ring, but Nishinoya only noticed it on the third session after the man had changed his hairstyle, tying his long hair in a messy bun. Consequently, the raven head was able to focus more on the handsome face he saw once a week. Eyes as dark brown as his hair, his gaze was always looking so serious when he drew, but when he was around his friends, it looked cheerful and kind. Maybe one day he would look at Nishinoya with that gaze.

 ' _Ah, his lips are trembling_.' he realized as he stopped dreaming about how perfect his cheekbones were, he lifted his gaze and made awkward eye contact with him. Hazel irises drowned in the other’s. The contact lasted until the student's face reddened and he hid his face behind his easel. And to be honest Nishinoya had to conceal his urge to scream at him. ' _How the hell can you be so cute?!! You perfect dude with perfect body!!!_ ' he yelled internally. After a few minutes, the chocolate gaze was back, shyly looking at him again. Inexorably a wide smile appeared on the model's face, when his Apollo became aware that his smile was for him, he hid again and this time it took him more than a few minutes to come back.

 

 During the break Nishinoya wanted to see what the man drew but he had closed his sketchbook to his displeasure, and he couldn't find him in the room. He’s probably outside or in the bathroom, he thought, giving up with a disappointed sigh. Of course, he could take a look inside the paper pages, but that wasn't his way of being, and it was disrespectful toward the artist and his privacy. Instead he browsed the drawings on the other easels. Students were glad to show him what they drew, and he was relieved they found him handsome. In an aesthetically pleasing way obviously.

 The session ended around 5pm, his work shift began in one hour. He put his clothes back on and checked his phone, Iwaizumi was thanking him again and complained about the new nurse who was in charge of his bandage. From what he said, the nurse wasn't able to achieve his task properly and Iwaizumi had to help him the first time. But the thing that annoyed him the most was the childish nickname he gave to him. He didn't write it down in the message so Nishinoya could only guess.

 “Thank you for your hard work today Nishinoya!” Sugawara said from behind the curtain, which made Nishinoya flinch.

 “Woah you scared me!” he scolded as he appeared in front of the silver head.

 “I'm sorry. I thought you had fallen asleep. During the session you seemed completely on the moon.”

 “No I wouldn't be, I’ve been here for six sessions after all!” Nishinoya grinned. The teacher smiled back him and then he asked him when he would be free next week. They talked together a little before Sugawara’s other class arrived and then the smaller man left, in the corridor he met the other nude model, it was Saeko's friend.

 “Late again Yachi!” He smirked. The young lady only whined saying it wasn't her fault and kept running to the class. He heard her apologizing and then the door closed.”I hope the subway won't be crowded...” That thought made him shiver again, memory of the bus ride still fresh.

 

 For a Saturday night it was unexpectedly calm. Nishinoya kept yawning and stretching his arms behind his back as he walked into the mall. He greeted the storekeepers and sometimes sent Morse code messages to Tanaka via the walkie-talkie. Two hours later, he was eating his onigiri alone on a bench and started wondering where his friend was. Usually they always ate together...

 “Maybe I should call hi-”

 “YÛ !!” the voice from the walkie-talkie yelled. “Come at Saeko's shop right now! I caught a guy who has stolen stuff but he said he hasn't and I don't know if he's lying or not since he looks like a thief to me but he's all-”

 “On my way!” he replied as he started running as fast as he could, excited by the idea of some action.

 Despite that moment of motivation, it quickly dropped when he saw the face of the so called thief.

 “Well, this dude had an…unpaid pair of boxers in his bag.” Tanaka explained as he pointed the boxers on the table near the man who was wearing an expression mixed with lack of understanding and fear. His hands were trembling and when he saw Nishinoya he choked on the water he was drinking.

Tanaka made his I-don't-know-what-is-happening-but-it-is-happening face and looked back at his friend. He had the other man's wallet in his hands, searching for more information.

 “No way..” Noya whispered, that was him, his Apollo from the drawing class.

 “Judging from his identity card, his name is Azumane Asahi, 21, art student.”  


	3. Save the Apollo!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the late! I had trouble with my laptop... It seems its will die soon. I'll try to be on time next wednesday !! 
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this chapter !  
> Thanks for all your comments & kudos \o/ 
> 
> As always thanks to my Bêta Ramen !

Nishinoya had never felt so jittery in his life and the tension in the small staff room was palpable. It was so quiet he could hear his own heartbeat. Tanaka was outside speaking with their chief about the procedure they'd have to follow, so for the moment he was watching the art student to pass time until he came back. The tall guy’s eyes were down, intertwined fingers trembling as his left foot just barely tapped the floor. Judging from his bag, he had gone to the mall after finishing classes, and when Nishinoya eyed his still open bag, he noticed an assortment of art materials along with a closed notebook that he itched to open and take a look inside.

Nobody would understand, but the ravenette would bet his left hand that Asahi Azumane was anything but a thief. That conviction was worthless without proof to back him up, though. He sighed and walked to the other side of the table, pouring tea in the empty cup and sliding it near the other man without a word, a small “Thank you” being the whispered response. The tone was strained, though, and it hurt Nishinoya just to hear it.

“I'm sure you didn't do it. I'll try my best to help you.” He declared as he scratched his cheek. He wasn't comfortable enough to speak like usual, but he tried to sound sincere.

Somehow he didn't expect an answer from Azumane, so when he heard his voice he felt incredibly happy.

“I'm glad you trust me...most of the time, people judge me by my appearance, so I'm used to that.” Azumane mumbled as he sipped his tea. His face looked a bit sad as he spoke.

“I can relate.” Nishinoya shrugged, crossing his arms and looking at the door. He could hear Tanaka's voice, and judging from his intonation, the Chief had surely scolded him for not remembering the procedure.

“You do?”

“Hmm, why?”

 

“Well, since you're also a nude model I thought you were confident about your looks you know? Like, when people see you they probably judge you less than me.” His Apollo replied, and he could feel his gaze scanning him. No one from the drawing session could guess he was actually a security guard, not even Sugawara. He understood the surprised look from Azumane. He didn't want to be mean with him, he didn't know about his handicap and probably couldn't guess it, however his words affected him.

Of course they weren't the same, but people judged anyone in this world.

The door opened and he saw his friend beckoning to him.

“Daichi said we should watch what the video surveillance has recorded! I already asked Saeko to take a look so we basically just have to wait.” Tanaka explained as he kept his eyes on Azumane. The door wasn't closed completely so he could observe him, though he doubted the guy would make a weird move. He crossed his arms and rose an eyebrow. “You know him right?”

Nishinoya glanced behind him, then he stared back at his friend. “I do. I see him regularly during the drawing sessions. I saw him today too.” He pressed his lips together and gave the other one a nudge to get his attention. “Listen Ryû', I'm sure he didn’t steal that pair of boxers. Do you see how he looks?”

“...Well, his physical appearance says yes, but his behavior obviously yells no.” The other nodded with a grin that wasn’t subtle at all. “But you know, procedures and stuff. We can't let him go on his merry way without checking first. Saeko won't be long, I feel bad for your friend but-”

“He is not my friend!” Nishinoya hissed, worried that Azumane could hear them. He had never talked to him, and had learned his name only minutes ago, there was no way they could be counted as friends yet. “He’s just a student I see every week.” He added, a little embarrassed about his sudden change in demeanor, playing with the blond strand of hair as he looked at his feet. Yet, his friend’s whistling made him feel more embarrassed. Tanaka was the most observant amongst all his friends, and if he noticed a change in his best friend’s life, he'd make sure to get to the bottom of it.

'Crap, I'm done for' he thought.

“Not your friend. Yet, Huh?” Tanaka smirked, nudging him as he supplied the word Nishinoya had purposefully left out. “I was wondering why you look so happy after those sessions, I get what’s going on now.” He whispered, making a girly gesture with his hands.

“Stop with the personal talk!”

“Yû-kun are you embarrassed?”

“I'm going to tell Kiyoko-san.” Nishinoya threatened, effectiveness proven when his friend made a terrified face. Sighing, he cleared his throat and placed his hands on Tanaka's shoulders. “Well, do you want to know how we can prove that Azumane is innocent?”

“How?”

“Do the thing Bro.” Nishinoya requested with his serious face, which Tanaka mirrored. He nodded and took a deep breath before going inside the staff room again. He closed the door and the smaller man chose to stay outside. Since he knew he couldn't keep his calm when Tanaka was doing their “thing”. A few seconds passed and he heard a loud noise and then his colleague's voice.

“So Azumane Asahi-san, did you steal those boxers or not?!” Tanaka's voice was loud as he over exaggerated every rolling 'r', copying the voice and mannerisms of the yakuza characters popularized on TV. This was 'the thing' they always do when they wanted to know if someone was lying or not, Tanaka had a natural gangster style, and when Nishinoya observed their reactions, he was able to discover the truth clouded by lies. Most of the people who had been victims of that strategy had told the truth right after, well, most of the time it was young people who stole so it wasn't hard to untie their tongues. Of course their Boss didn't know about that, or else they'd have to suffer from his anger. This time since Nishinoya was sure about Azumane’s innocence, he didn't go inside and waited until he heard the other's voice.

“I..I didn't!” His panicked voice answered.

“Ok, time out Bro.” Nishinoya ordered as he opened the door and found his friend, foot on the table and boxers in his right hand as the other one pointed it. The art student was looking like a scared cat, hands up and eyes almost crying, he looked at him when he entered and walked to them. “I told you he was innocent.” He patted the shaved head and looked at the boxers he was holding. “Wait. Give that to me please!”

“What? Notice something?” Tanaka wondered as he leaned on the table and gave the boxers to him.

“Yes. See that? It's an XS size, and I'm sure that Azumane-san here, doesn't have a butt that small. Sorry for asking but what size?” He inquired as both looked at the poor Apollo who had his hand on his heart and who looked dismayed.

“..W..well. Medium..” He replied sheepishly as his face turned red and he placed his hand behind his neck.

“See? I told you Bro. Why someone would steal something that personal if it's not for wearing it ?”

“Because he hasn't stolen it.” A feminine voice said from behind. It was Saeko, she was wearing her working uniform and her blond hair was braided with some flashy accessories in them. Even if she was the smallest in the room, she commanded respect and the three men listened to her as she showed them the screen of the laptop she was holding. “These guys put it inside his bag, dunno why they did that. But he is totally innocent.” She commented as she played the video surveillance. “So you can let him go now Ryû, Yû. Sir, we're sorry about the trouble” She met the chocolate gaze and bowed.

The two security guards exchanged a look and yelled synchronized as they bowed too.“We are sorry for the discomfort you felt !”

“No I...it's alright, you were just doing your job,” replied the now innocent man as he smiled shyly.

“Wow...You're way too understanding. You can yell at us if you want.” Tanaka said amazed by Azumane's way of taking what had happened to him. But he replied to that with a small nod and nothing more.

Nishinoya bit his lip and looked at Saeko. She looked back at him and tilted her head, waiting for his request. He came closer and whispered something that made her give a small smile then exit the room, leaving the trio alone. After that, they filled in some papers and finally, Azumane was able to leave. He wanted the security guard's number for thanking him later, which Nishinoya declined politely, saying he was at work. The chocolate-haired man didn't insist and left with Tanaka. Nishinoya stayed near the door, waiting for Saeko to return. Nevertheless, when she did, his Apollo had left a few minutes ago and he couldn't catch him. She gave him what he asked for, and he would give it to him during the next drawing session, if he did show up. Eventually, they went back to work. Tanaka was finally able to eat. The rest of the night was calm.

 

Whereas he went back to his apartment, Nishinoya couldn't stop thinking about Azumane. He felt regretful since he hadn't really talked with him, and small talk didn't really count. He sighed heavily and looked at the discount voucher Saeko had given to him. It was a way to apologize after all. He only hoped he would accept it. The real question was if he would be able to actually talk with him next time they would meet. Tiredness had reached his brain by the time he arrived in front of his apartment's door, and it took him a moment of concentration to find the right key and open the door as silently as possible.

Yamaguchi was probably already asleep on the couch, he seemed to keep dozing off while he was watching TV. Nishinoya had told him many times he shouldn't overdo his college projects. Of course, he knew the man was a perfectionist and couldn't allow himself to rest until he made something 'acceptable' by his standards. He took off his shoes and hung his coat before heading to the living room where he found his friend snoring lightly. As he yawned, he turned off the TV and gently shook the sleeping man.

“Tadashi, you're sleeping on the couch again!” The smaller man murmured. He helped the other one stand up and led him to his bed where Yamaguchi just fell on it and coiled the blanket around himself. Nishinoya didn't even have the time to say goodnight to him. Indeed, he was already hearing the light snores from before. Closing the door, he returned to the living room to clean the table where Yamaguchi had left many empty cups of tea, paper pellets and a small eraser. Judging from what he saw, Yamaguchi was practising his hand drawings. It was the kind of hands that looked hard to draw, long slender fingers, visible veins, exactly the kind of hands a pianist had. He enjoyed seeing these analysis drawings, different methods were used, he sketched the bones alone, then the muscles, and when all the hands were drawn, he colored it with watercolor, or charcoal.

Time passed and it was around midnight when he had finished taking a look at all the drawings scattered in the room. He had been so captivated by them he forgot to send a message to Tanaka, telling him he went back safely and maybe mentioning the 'Azumane incident' from earlier.

Whilst he took off his work uniform, he suddenly became aware of one thing. During his chat with Azumane, he didn't compare their bodies, and not even felt ashamed of his own. Not like he usually did back at the drawing session. Did the fact that he was dressed change something? With that thought, he went to sleep, troubled.

That night he didn't sleep very well. He had nightmares that woke him up many times. And like a broken record it was always the same. The raven-head was in the art room, alone, he was sitting in front of a huge block of clay, strangely he felt pretty calm. However he quickly started to panic when he noticed his disability, paralyzed by his fear. And to make his anxiety even worse, each time he looked at the clay, it changed its form, and the one it took didn't please Nishinoya at all. It was his body, without the head though, but he recognized it. The mere sight made him nauseous, it was disgusting. He wanted to destroy the emerging sculpture, punched it until he couldn't see his own reflection. But he couldn't. And little by little his clay body came closer and closer until it touched him and started engulfing him. Each inch of his body that was covered felt frozen and dead to him.

He woke up just when the clay was covering his face, preventing breathing. With shaking hands he looked at the time, it was 3:29, he hunched and tried to catch his breath but it wasn't easy, his body was trembling and he was covered in sweat. Luckily for him, tomorrow was a Sunday so he wouldn't have to wake up early. Eventually, he was finally able to catch a few hours of sleep.

 

The scent of french toast and coffee woke him up around 10am, so even if he wanted to sleep more, he left his bed and headed to the bathroom. Thirty minutes later, he was sitting with Yamaguchi on the couch and both were eating the delicious breakfast the taller man had made. Nishinoya didn't have to tell his roommate about his nightmares,their rooms were closed and Yamaguchi was a light sleeper. He had been woken up by Nishinoya's muffled voice during the night. He probably made the food to cheer up Nishinoya.

“How was work yesterday ?” Yamaguchi asked as he added his usual 2 tablespoons of sugar and milk to the top of the cup of his coffee. On the contrary, Nishinoya drank his coffee black, saying that he could enjoy the flavor to its fullest that way.

Keeping his eyes on the documentary on the television, he answered, “As usual, we met up with Saeko. And it was pretty calm.” He paused and wondered if he had to tell Yamaguchi about the incident that night, but was interrupted by the doorbell. “Waiting for someone?”

“No, and it’s Sunday so it's not the postman.” Yamaguchi pointed it out as he stood up and headed to the door. Soon enough Nishinoya recognized the intruder.

“Hello Yamaguchi! Is Noya-san here?” An energetic voice asked.

“It's Hinata!” The taller man declared, and another art student appeared from behind the door. He had his huge A3 sketchbook under his arm and his typical wide smile on his face. He took off his shoes and walked to the living room, he was used to coming here, less often than Tanaka though. He usually came when he required advice from the two and they didn't mind his out of the blue visits so he came as soon as he had art block. He fist bumped Nishinoya, sat on the floor and placed his sketchbook on the other's lap. Yamaguchi sat back on the couch and both started looking through the art of their youngest friend.

The orangehead had his arms and legs crossed and his expression seemed grave. “I hope it's not that bad, Kageyama will yell at me if I didn't improve.”

“The one who's writing the plot right?”

“Exactly ! He sucks at drawing. And I suck at writing plot so we decided to pair up together but he keeps lecturing me. You believe that? He doesn't even know how to draw a cat. The only thing he can draw is a damn ugly octopus.” Hinata whined, Nishinoya and Yamaguchi always heard many stories about that 'Kageyama' but they never saw him. Both just imagined him with a terrible hoity-toity personality. “But I have to admit, his stories are awesome.” He added, cheeks puffed and slightly blushing.

Once they were done reading and checking the character plans, they explained what they liked or not and what should be great. They weren't writers or illustrators but Hinata liked to have another point of view regarding his drawings. Plus, he didn't live so far from them so he could always make a stop at their place.

That's how Nishinoya spent his Sunday, and Yamaguchi took the opportunities of having his friends here and asked them if he could draw their hands. Both had small hands but he didn't mind, he always said that all the hands are different and reflected the person's life, for example his own hands were slender but calloused because of all his manual work. Inexorably, they ended up talking about his model with a vicious tongue. It seemed Hinata knew him since he added his own anecdotes towards the guy. Nishinoya found out that the so called guy was Tsukishima Kei, and his personality was even worse than that of Kageyama's.

“Oh, and about your drawing session Noya-san! All the students said you're a really nice model.” Hinata beamed as he drew Yamaguchi posing on the couch. He took a lazy pose, upside down with his long legs resting on the couch's support, hands joined on his chest, and his head a few centimeters from the floor.

“All the students? Seems like you know everyone, huh, Shôyô?” The raven-head giggled as he tried his best to draw his roommate as well. He definitely was not used to be the one drawing others but the feeling wasn't bad either.

“Hm, well not all of them, but I do have some friends there. Ah, and by the way your next session is on Tuesday right? Do you know if we can meet at the library? Our deadline is approaching and I'd like you to check it over one last time before I hand it over. ”

“Sure, I'll message you when I arrive at the college then.”

After that private drawing session they looked at their drawings and of course Hinata's was the best. Yamaguchi had kept and hung them up at his wall near the others. Nishinoya enjoyed his peaceful days. As he said to Tanaka, he didn't like his body but it didn't stop him from living. He could work like an average person and his staff uniform didn't make him uncomfortable. Speaking of work, he had his Mondays occupied so he had to leave pretty early since this time they were working in another town. That was a reason why he liked his work, they weren't always at the same place. The routine couldn't settle and he was more than satisfied with that.

Ironically, if he spent nice days, he couldn't say the same about his nights. His nightmares were persistent. When he woke up at 6am he felt so exhausted he didn't have the energy to style his hair. For the day his colleague was Daichi Sawamura, the chief of his group. They decided to carpool and Nishinoya was more than thankful with him when he said he would drive for the outward journey and he would let him drive for the trip back. He tried to sleep for one more hour and luckily was able to do that.

While they were working, Nishinoya felt anxious about the next day, he was going to see his Apollo again, if he came, of course. He was worried he might have scared him off. He didn't look so well when he left, but who wouldn't after going through that? Then he remembered how hard working the other man was, he had a memory of him during one session where he seemed really sick, face buried in his big blue scarf , his nose was red and so was his cheeks and eyes. Sugawara had told him to go back home but he insisted and stayed, and it was the first time he didn't come near the scene to draw.

“I will see him tomorrow.” Nishinoya mumbled.


	4. Don't badmouth the Apollo!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the new chapteeer~ ♫ I'm sorry for the late once again. I'll probably keep the update around Saturday.. TImezone and life made it hard to talk with my Bêta arf.  
> I hope you'll enjoy this one !  
> I'm glad I was able to introduce all the characters I want ! Next chapter will be more focused on Nishinoya and his Apollo ehe.  
> As always thanks to my Bêta Ramen and you who are reading this story !  
> Thanks for the kudos, comments, everything makes me happy \o/.

Nishinoya was dreading today's session. He had to take medicine before going to bed so he could at least get some sleep. Yet when he woke up he didn't feel like he had rested at all. Instead he was half-awake and his movements were slow and sluggish. He showered longer than usual, which caused Yamaguchi to knock at the door, asking if he was alright. Though he really wasn't feeling well, he lied to his friend and said he would be done soon.

He didn't understand what made Azumane special. The ravenette couldn’t comprehend why he had felt completely normal when they were together on Saturday's night. They had been close enough in that small room to usually make him panic like a fish out of water. He sighed and lazily got dressed, today's jacket was oversized and dark blue with the famous Hokusai's Great Wave off Kanagawa on the back. Since the weather seemed pretty mild, he decided to wear a tank top and jeans. Breakfast was a short affair since Yamaguchi was late. Nishinoya apologized and swore it wouldn't happen again.

This morning he had been busy with his language class as he took online lessons when he had time to spare. He learnt sign language, korean and french, but when he had tried to master german he failed miserably. One of his online korean friend once told him « When you learn german, first you cry, but when you master it you can smile. » Though, he didn't have the time to cry. Nishinoya was curious about many things, he liked to know and share his knowledge with his surroundings. He treasured his collection of books, and didn't have enough place in his room for all of them, he basically left them in their boxes when they moved in, and sometimes he had to search for one. As a consequence, next to his bed he had a small tower of books that he didn't put back in his boxes. He couldn't explain how, but taking online lessons made him feel at ease. It was like a hobby for him, it helped Nishinoya to relax when he wasn't working. He would talk to his online friends and marvel at how differently they all thought. Behind a screen, he didn't have to worry about his body since they only saw his face.

After class, he ate his lunch at Tanaka's place and they talked about Azumane again, the other persistently insinuating some nonexistent relationship between his best friend and the guy. That ended up in a pillow fight and a broken glass. Tanaka was living with his sister, so he knew that he had better buy another glass so Saeko wouldn't notice. He accompanied Nishinoya for half of his route before running to the store where they had bought their dishes.

The nude model was waiting for his friend. He had arrived early and decided to busy himself with the thousands of books the art library had. He went in the sculpture section and took one huge book off the shelf. He stayed between the shelves and didn't bother sitting down. He wasn't a student here so he had to not draw any attention to himself. He wasn't feeling really comfortable in a place he had never been before. His phone vibrated and he was glad when Hinata's name and a picture of him appeared.

→ I'll be here in 20 mins Noya-san ╰( ･ ᗜ ･ )╯!”

→ Alright Shôyô, I'm inside in the greek section.” he typed with one hand, his other one busy with replacing the book. Since he had an extra twenty minutes, he wandered in the aisles until he found a small book on greek myths and legends. Nishinoya enjoyed this kind of book as he felt greek mythology was rich and interesting, losing himself in the book until he arrived at the end. Reading through the borrowing card in the book, he felt surprised when he saw the name of his Apollo. The kanji was written carefully and he couldn't help smiling, thinking about how typical it was. Asahi Azumane looked like someone who care for everything, even insignificant things like writing his name on a paper was impeccably done.

The library wasn't crowded, each step he made was echoing between the whispers and the sound of people writing or turning pages of their books.  
Ten minutes had passed and when Nishinoya realized how much he enjoyed spending time surrounded by books, he decided that he would come earlier before his session and stayed at the library. He didn't know a lot of things when it was about Art in general. As a result, he was curious and willing to learn. He could simply ask Sugawara for some private art lesson, but he didn't want to bother him.

As he put back the few books he skimmed through, he heard a group of people talking about something that caught his attention. They were sitting at a table near him, and their voices were loud and not as quiet as the librarian hoped, she kept staring at them and sighing when they giggled like high schoolers. And more the ravenette listened to their chatter, the more he felt annoyed. He clenched his fists and restrained himself from throwing a book at them. Tanaka and Yamaguchi knew how easily he could lose his self-control, but not the men.

"And you know what? I saw him stealing, I went at the mall on Saturday and I saw him being arrested. You believe that? It doesn't really surprise me, though, he is kinda...gangster like? You know, he has the aura of a bad guy."  
"Yeah, and I saw him behind the cafeteria, making a girl cry, what a douchebag."

"No way... Like girls actually confessed to him? He looks like a guy who skipped school so much he repeated all his school years. How can they find him attractive? He looks so old."

And they kept bad mouthing Azumane, saying things they didn't actually know. Nishinoya cracked his knuckles and took a deep breath. His shoulders were tensed but his mind was composed. He headed to them as one noticed him and glared when he stopped a few steps away.

"Done talking shit, kids?" Nishinoya's voice was assertive and he looked at the ugliest one. He was holding his phone and showed a pic he probably took on Saturday, he recognized Tanaka's back next to Asahi's one. And it only made the ravenette angrier. "You know you can be sued for that? You're in the art section and you seem totally ignorant about the image rights."

"Huh? What the fuck man? Like we would give a damn about you and your hero mode." One of them replied, he stood up and emphasized his height by placing his hands on his hips and looking down on Nishinoya. "Shrimp" he chuckled.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Nishinoya grabbed the taller man by the wrist, twisted it and not so gently made a self-defense hold that made him lost his balance and he fell on the floor, eyes wide open. He was probably used to fighting people smaller than him, but not stronger. Of course, Nishinoya was furious, but he still had control over his strength. The two other guys got mad but before they could make a move the librarian arrived, she was panicking and tried to ask them to go outside but the ugly one from before told her to shut her mouth.  
"You better apologize to that lady or next time I'll be sure you break your nose when you hit the table." He threatened, hands tightly gripping the other's hair. The weak apology was heard and the young lady asked them firmly to leave. The third one was the tallest but even if he glared at Nishinoya, he refused move an inch. He helped his friends going out and Nishinoya was going to leave too but he was grabbed by the hand.

"Thank you. They always come here and make a ruckus, but no one has stepped in so far. It's true they look scary and they never listen to my warnings. But maybe you should have resolved this without violence." She smiled gently and breathed out a sigh. Relieved, she left and told Nishinoya that he could stay. She also assured that she would cover his actions if someone came. It looked like the trio had annoyed her more than once.

He didn't regret his actions, of course, he had been scared that his plan wasn't going to go well, he hated people who judged without knowing, and Asahi Azumane was a delicate subject these days. Luckily he was confident enough when it came to his self-defense. The library was had returned to silence and he was soon joined by Hinata and someone he didn't know. Dark eyes, straight black hair, hands in his pocket and eyes averted. Nishinoya grinned, already guessing who it was.

"And so I decided to take him with me since he didn't believe me when I said I practice a lot! Dumbass Kageyama." Hinata lectured, then he introduced Nishinoya and surprisingly, Kageyama seemed intimidated by Nishinoya, was it because he was older? He smiled and patted the other one's stiff shoulders as he defended Hinata, saying he came a lot at his place for practice. The grumpy face Kageyama made was priceless and the redhead teased him until Nishinoya decided to take the initiative and asked to see their project.

They fell silent and waited for him to pass his judgment, the story and the art were nice but it lacked something, but he couldn’t place his finger on it. He tried his best to explain that feeling and both started a conversation he didn't understand a word of. As he looked at his youngsters busy with correcting their project, Nishinoya didn't notice the gaze on him since he entered the library.

On the contrary, he became aware of the whispers behind his back, it seemed his actions were already known by many students.

At first, it didn't bother him, but little by little he became nauseous, his ears became more sensitive, all the whispers mixed in his head, and he didn't focus on Hinata's voice anymore. He hated being the center of attention when it wasn't intentional, that's why the drawing session wasn't a nuisance for him. The ravenette's breath quickened, he was feeling crushed under the gazes and murmurs, his body became hotter and quickly he started thinking about what these people saw. His body? His ugly small body. Maybe they didn't trust what the rumor said. Him against three huge guys? No way, he was too short. Then he remembered his nightmare, no matter where he was, his body would keep haunting him.

“Noya-san? You're livid, are you alright?” Hinata asked worriedly. It took a few try for Nishinoya to actually hear him over his negative thoughts. He ruffled his black spiky hair and looked at the window.

 

“No...Not really I feel sick. I guess I'll go outside for a bit if you don't mind? I'll let you finish your storyboard” He replied, unsure if he would be able to face the students’ gazes. To his surprise, his legs felt weak and he almost fell off his chair when he tried to stand up. Hinata and Kageyama were already next him, trying to help him stand up again but he felt paralyzed under the gaze of the people that encircled them, asking if they needed help. They probably didn't understand, in this kind of situation the right thing to do was leaving space so the person could breathe. Which was a thing Nishinoya had a hard time dealing with. And to make thing worst, he wanted to throw up. He closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, noticing Hinata and Kageyama's sounded odd, as if he was inside a bubble. Then nothing more. A loud voice made the others disappear.

“I'll take care of him Shôyô-kun doesn't worry !” The same voice said as he started moving. Hinata calmed down and nodded with respect. “How are you feeling dude?” Even if he was being held like a small child, Nishinoya didn't have the force to fight back or ask the other one to put him down. His head was leaning on the man's shoulder, strong and broad like Tanaka's one.

“It might be better if I sit on a bench. Or I'll probably throw up on you,” he whispered, trying not to consider the situation. The other laughed in response. He had nice features, his eyes were golden, and his white and black hair was pretty cool.

“By the way, I'm Shôyô and Kageyama's sempai and even if I'm in a different section, I’ve taught them many things.” His voice made him sound like a proud dad. They were behind the main building, at this hour it was empty. When he finally sat on a bench, the coldness of the steel felt nice, he breathed out loudly and looked at his savior standing in front of him. “I'm Bokutô Koutarô, sound design student here, nice to meet you.” The other said, waiting for the smaller man to shake his hands.

“Nishinoya Yû, well I'm not a student here, I'm a nude model that comes from time to time,” He replied as his hand was shaking vigorously.

“Nude model? Wow, you have my respect, it seems so hard! I can't stay immobile for too long, even sitting in class makes me want to run. Sadly sound designers mostly work in a chair...” Bokutô said, disappointed as he sat next to him and stretched his arms.

“You're really light you know, do you eat properly?” Nishinoya knew he had no ill intentions, but everything related to his body, like his diet always made him nervous. Consequently, he never ate with people that weren't close to him. He simply nodded and looked at his phone, Hinata had sent messages to him asking about his health. With a smile, he replied that he felt much better.

“So...hmm, Sound design? What is it exactly?” The ravenette asked. He didn't really know how to thank Bokutô, he had helped him a lot. He would try to figure out later what he could offer to him to show his gratitude.

 

“Basically, I create music! For video games mostly. I'm in my last year so things are really hard but it's nice. And I have my precious muse.”

“Your muse?” Nishinoya rose an eyebrow and remembered what he had read in the art book. It seemed like he had flipped a switch inside the other, his golden eyes were gleaming and he fidgeted as he took his phone and a picture appeared in front of Nishinoya's surprised face. “Oh. He is handsome” he commented, admiring how stunning Bokutô's muse looked. “He plays the violin?”

“Isn't he? He's the most handsome man I know. And he plays the violin so well, he's so talented!” Bokutô almost shouted when he replied, he had a hard time hiding his excitement. Since he looked terribly happy with talking about his muse, Nishinoya listened to him, smiling and nodding every now and then. “I met him during a recording session when real musicians came and played songs so we can work with real sounds. And he was the most amazing one, like the sound he made, it's so marvelous, I don't know how he can even do that. And then I...broke his glasses.” He admitted, fingers intertwined. He stopped talking and mumbled incomprehensible things.

Nishinoya waited, was Bokutô going to stay silent? Should he talk to him? He had just met the other guy, but Nishinoya already felt like they could become friends. A nice feeling was settling between them. He slowly looked for some candies he kept in his bag and gave one to the other, who took it and grinned as he put the strawberry cream lollipop in his mouth. Since the candy seemed to be effective, Nishinoya asked. “And...did you apologize?”

“Of course, I did, but I was running away when I apologized.” Bokutô replied. “It's been one week and the next recording session is at 5:30. I'm scared!”

“Well, apologize again and ask if you can pay him for his broken glasses?” Nishinoya suggested. Though, he didn't have time for the answer as his phone rang and he saw Sugawara's name. “Sorry, I have to answer.”

“Nishinoya are you alright?!” The art teacher inquired. “I met Hinata and he told me you weren't feeling well and you disappeared with his friend, are you feeling better? I'll cancel today's session you should-”

“Calm down Suga! I'm alright, I'm feeling better and I'll come to the session.” Nishinoya giggled. The other was always worrying about the smallest thing, and Hinata had explained the situation in his own way, he probably had exaggerated some parts. “And I didn't see the time, I'll head to the class!” He added, standing up and rubbing his neck. He looked at Bokutô who was silently looking at him. “May I have your phone number? You really save my life back then! I'd like to repay you for the help.”

“What?! No, you don't need to I mean, that was the right thing to do.” Bokutô made gestures in the air with his arms, he seemed embarrassed and laughed nervously. However, Nishinoya was stubborn when it came to showing gratitude.

“And you were the one who did it. You're a great guy, you know that?” He assured, and it made the other man blush before giving up and sending his information to him.

“You don't have to repay me you know? Like we can just be...friends or something?”

“No problem.” Nishinoya said, but he really had to leave. They bumped fists and Bokutô told him to take care. He was all friendly and dynamic, but the other was as observant as Tanaka.

When he arrived, Sugawara was waiting outside the art room, he was biting his lips and wearing a worried expression until he saw Nishinoya rushing toward him. A reassured sigh left his lips and he pinched the nude model's cheeks. The students had already taken their places and were discussing quietly. Of course Azumane was here but he wasn't talking with his friends, instead he was drawing or writing something in his notebook. Nishinoya apologized for being late, and then got ready. Today's session was a quick one and Sugawara decided it would only last an hour and a half, compared to the last time he had to take brief poses and be as varied as possible. The ravenette felt more at ease and his mind was calm. His legs weren't shaking and his breath was back to normal, he could do his job as usual and the students were delighted.

At the end of the session, Nishinoya changed quickly and tried to catch Azumane. Well, it was Azumane who caught him instead. When the nude model opened the curtain he jumped as a gasp made the taller man startled.

He was waiting for him and had been so quiet behind the curtain Nishinoya hadn't noticed him. He caught the smaller man off-guard so he didn't know what to do. Both stayed silent and looked at the floor until Nishinoya took the lead again and gave the discount voucher to Azumane, he made sure that no one was looking at them. Except Sugawara.

“Here, an apology for, you know.” He explained, but the discount voucher stayed in his hands for a moment. Azumane was staring at it, before reaching out to accept the voucher.

“Y...you shouldn't have...But thank you Nishinoya-san.” Azumane smiled, he placed the paper in his wallet and then opened his mouth but didn't talk. He was shy probably, that's why Nishinoya let him ponder and enjoyed his view. They had never been so close.

“Of course, I had to! But I won't bother you with that story here, I don't want people to start stupid rumors” He remembered the trio he had met and it made him angry. Had they ever talked with the taller man? He couldn't even talk properly with Nishinoya who was way smaller than him. He couldn't imagine him being a bad guy. Unlike them.

“I would like to thank you, you helped me back then and since you were working I couldn't have your number. So...right now you're not working and the session is done and...uh, may I have your number please?” Azumane's voice was deep and a bit shaky. But it didn't matter, he had spoken so fast Nishinoya couldn't help laughing.

“No need to thank me! As you said, I was just doing my job.” He clarified.

“I..I insist!” Azumane frowned.

“And If I don't give it to you? Will you be arrested for nothing again?” Nishinoya grinned as he started writing his number on a slip of paper.

“No ! But, I may ask you again and again.”

“Sounds nice too.” The ravenette whispered. “Here! Now I have to go.” He said as he gave the paper and walked away, he didn't want to stay too long or his blush would be noticed. Yet, he heard the deep voice behind him a smile drew on his face.

“N...Nishinoya-san ! You only wrote dots and lines!”

“It's morse code! Nothing comes easily in life Azumane-kun, you know?” Nishinoya cooed as he disappeared in the corridor full of students, leaving a distressed Asahi behind him. 

On his way back home he didn't stop smiling. And again he didn't feel flustered, which was still a mystery to him. He hummed happily before receiving a message from Hinata, he explained the result of their projects and asked if he could come over to Nishinoya’s place to celebrate it. It sounded pretty nice so he told Yamaguchi. He was a bit hesitant at first but was convinced when Nishinoya explained that he was working too much these days and if he didn’t spend time with other people than him, Tanaka and that Tsukishima one, he won’t last long.

During that party, they laughed a lot and Kageyama who was the surprise guest even smiled at some stupid jokes Hinata made. They didn’t talk about Nishinoya’s anxiety attack obviously. When they were all full and lacking motivation to doing anything constructive, Nishinoya received a message from an unknown number. He recognized Azumane's speech patterns and was surprised he didn’t give up trying to figure out the morse code.

-> Hello Nishinoya-san, it’s Azumane Asahi.  
Well, I hope it’s Nishinoya-san...if it’s not, I’m sorry for disturbing you.

-> Hey there Azumane-kun, congratulations, you passed the test! 

He added Azumane's number to his phone and made sure no one saw him smiling stupidly. 

He waited for an answer but it didn’t come, which he found weird but he knew the other was rather shy. Maybe he shouldn’t have replied that quickly. Nishinoya walked Hinata back to his place and checked his phone, but there were still no replies. Time passed and he headed to bed while staring at the night sky and recalling what happened today, eyes closed. Then his phone vibrated. 

-> I’m sorry I forgot to reply, I was busy working on a rendering. You’re probably sleeping so I wish you goodnight and I’ll see you at the next session.  
And I’ll find a way to thank you, I insist! 

That night, Nishinoya really hoped he wouldn’t have nightmares. He fell asleep smiling and happy.


	5. Rendez-vous with the Apollo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone ! How have you been? ♫  
> Here is the new chapter I hope you'll enjoy it, new things happened with theses two birds.  
> Again I'm sorry for the late !
> 
> Thanks for your comments, kudos and likes, that's really nice ehe~  
> Tell me what you like or hate, if you like the pace of the fic so far \o/  
> Feel free to talk to me on my tumblr I'm always happy to talk about Haikyuu *throws petals* and drowing in the hell of OTP with someone aha.  
> (palapipu-hiro.tumblr.com)
> 
> And thanks to my Bêta Ramen !

Nishinoya Yû was the kind of friend that sent messages at every moment of the day without a specific subject in mind. Yet, for the first time in his life, he didn't know how to start a conversation with Azumane. Usually, his naturally easy-going personality would move the conversation on its own. It had worked with Tanaka, and later with Yamaguchi and his co-workers. But with the art student, everything seemed harder than usual. He didn't know how he should talk to him. Should he act like he would with Tanaka? Making jokes at every opportunity even if they were pretty lame? Or more like when he was texting Yamaguchi? Though they mostly talked about food and how to deal with Tsukishima Kei, his current obsession.

He woke up with that problem in mind. Azumane had sent his first message one week ago and their exchanges had been at a standstill since then. Of course, both were busy with their own lives. Nishinoya knew from what he had observed with his roommate that an art student's life was full of projects, renderings, exams, and if you didn't work hard, you could easily be overwhelmed. That being said, Azumane Asahi didn't look like the type of student that would be lazy.  
The ravenette sighed and stared at his phone, he wanted to write something, but a mere « Hello, how are you? » seemed boring to him. He didn't know what he could possibly say that wouldn't bother the other as he was definitely studying for the upcoming exams if his school schedules were like Bokutô's and Yamaguchi's. Hinata and Kageyama were both first-years so they had already finished their big projects and could afford to relax until the next semester.

“What's with that face bro?" Tanaka asked as he sat next to his friend, passing him a can of soda. “Waiting for a message from someone?" Obviously, the other knew what was going on inside his best friend's head, but he would rather wait for his explanations. He glanced at the empty message box on Nishinoya' phone and smirked.

“Hmmm." He said, furrowing his eyebrows. “What do you write in your messages when you text Kiyoko-san?" He asked, knowing that the topic always made his best friend excited. Somehow, it reminded him of Bokutô when he was talking about his muse. But it was ok now he was used to that and could handle it, except when Tanaka was mimicking a girl. Because let's be honest, it was hilarious.  
His friend stopped drinking and put his can on the table, joined his hands together and took a deep breath.

“Yû. I'm not gonna lie to you." He started, straight face on and a big brotherly aura coming from him. "I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing when I text my wonderful and beautiful Kiyoko-san. Words are appearing by their own and it creates a message.” Tanaka explained as he gestured wildly. “You know sometimes your brain just disconnects out of the blue and you have to deal with it? I have to deal with that every time I try to talk with her. And luckily she is understanding towards me and forgives my stupidity. “ To top it off, he made his Buddha's face and Nishinoya couldn't help chuckling.

“And you are telling me she accepts going out with you every time you ask her for a date, right?”

“She does." Tanaka nodded. “I still wonder why, though."

Nishinoya hunched and puffed his cheeks, he felt helpless. “That's not helping at all. How can I start talking to Azumane without sounding weird?" He complained as his friend took his phone away from him.

"How is it like when you two see each other during the drawing sessions?" The taller man pondered, looking through Nishinoya's chat logs with his Apollo.

“We rarely talk together, that was the first time he talked with me face to face."

“So you're telling me you've never talked properly? And yet you're swooning after every session just because you saw him?"

What could he reply to that, it was true he was as obsessed with Azumane as Yamaguchi was with Tsukishima. Was it because of curiosity? He didn't really know since inside him he really wished to know the other man better. It was a different feeling than what he felt when he first met his best friend. It was the same feeling you had when you started a new class and you looked around you, some people interested you and you wanted to get closer to them. Realising Tanaka didn't return his phone, a shiver ran along his spine when he heard the sound it made when a message was sent.

“...Wait, Ryû, don't tell me..." He had a very bad feeling.  
“You'll thank me later “ Tanaka ruffled the black silky hair and gave his phone back to its owner. Nishinoya was scared to read the message he had been supposed to send, he didn't know what Tanaka's disconnected brain mode was, and from what he heard so far, he didn't want to know. He froze and threw a pillow at the smirking face next to him.

→ Hey Azumane, I was wondering: are you a dog or a cat person? I love both myself but cats are cuter☺.

“Seriously, Ryû. I couldn't have started a conversation worse than that. And what with that stupid emoticon?!" Nishinoya whimpered. His friend only laughed more and mimicked a flip hair.

“You know, Kiyoko-san always replies to me when I ask her stuff like that. I can know her better that way."

“Azumane isn't Kiyoko-san, what if he finds me weird or looks down on me after that...You could have at least asked him something art related!" Nishinoya shouted as he shook the other but stopped as soon as he received a reply, almost dropping his phone. “It's him."

Tanaka tilted his head and observed his friend as he opened the conversation with trembling fingers. He was curious but didn't want to rush the other.

"He...he replied." Nishinoya declared in a happy tone. "He is a dog person. He doesn't get along well with felines, he says that cats are scared when he approaches them."

"I said it'll help didn't I? Now you understand how to talk to him." Tanaka cheered him on with a thumbs up.

It was the beginning of an infinite and varied text exchange with Azumane. Nishinoya did as Tanaka said and sent messages whenever he felt the need to do so. That's why during two weeks they had talked about science facts, random historical ones, and even food recipes. Azumane always replied a bit late but never forgot to send a message back.

Nishinoya didn't felt as anxious as he had expected when they met at the drawings sessions. He mostly spent his breaks with Azumane and was able to know more about him. He was a third-year student and studied in the fashion design section. He didn't have a lot of free time but when it happened he enjoyed going to the cinema or strolling with his roommate, mostly for taking pictures and getting references for later. Nishinoya also knew what kind of food he liked, his favorite movie, his favorite fashion creators, and many more trivial things but it didn't appear to bother Azumane, that's why he kept asking what he wanted to know.

Sometimes their roles were reversed and Nishinoya was answering Azumane's questions, they were simple and easy to deal with, he didn't ask personal stuff. The art student wasn't the type of guy who would pry.

Nonetheless, the nude model didn't get enough courage to ask for permission to look in the Apollo's sketchbook. He felt a change in their relationship but was still acting like he was walking on eggshells. It was better to be safe than sorry. Especially when you started talking to someone new in your life. Due to the messages they sent to each other, Nishinoya didn't feel the age gap between them, and he didn't think it would bother Azumane anyway.

"As I said before, I really want to thank you." Azumane declared to Nishinoya at the end of today's session. He took the habit of waiting for the model and they talked together until they reached Azumane's next class. Today for the umpteenth time, the art student tried to convince Nishinoya, so far it hadn't been successful and Azumane was still not allowed to give the smaller man a present or something material. That was the condition. "And I thought about something that..m..maybe you will enjoy." The taller man stammered.

Nishinoya became aware of how easily his Apollo started panicking when he was at the important part of something when they were talking when it happened, the ravenette just listened to him carefully and kept an eye contact until the other one looked away, embarrassed. It seemed that today Azumane needed more time than usual. He was rubbing his neck, looking at his feet, biting his lips nervously and frowning a lot. All theses mannerisms that indicated his discomfort made Nishinoya nervous too. He gently patted the other man's back and smiled at him. "Hey c'mon, it's a been more than a month already, I told you I don't need anything. "

"What about the art lesson?!" His Apollo spluttered looking straight back at him "I see you a lot at the library so I thought maybe you want to know more about art. And sometimes it's better to learn with another person. Isn't it?"

It took a few minutes for Nishinoya to think about the tempting proposition. He crossed his arms and realized 'art lesson' meant being alone with the other man, probably at the library, or...maybe his place? They never met outside the drawing session and each time Azumane had proposed to pay a tea or something edible for Nishinoya, he had to turn him down since he couldn't resolve of eating in front of him more than anyone else. He got lost in thought and didn't realize the tanned hand that carefully tugged his sleeve.

"I..it's a no?" Azumane whispered, making a small pout with his perfect lips and the nude model's heart swooned. He shook his head and placed his hands on the broad shoulders that tensed at his contact.

"Alright, teach me art Azumane-kun." Nishinoya nodded. "I'll tell you when I'm available."

The student waved shyly and left for his class, leaving a jubilant Nishinoya in the corridor. From college til his apartment, he didn't stop humming, even the cold weather and the rain didn't affect his mood. As soon as he reached his couch, he hastily told today's event to his best friend. And then he sent his work planning to the chocolate man as he promised.

 

Days passed and Friday afternoon arrived quickly, Spring was settling in Japan and in the smaller man's heart. He sang happily as he walked toward the coffee shop he had to meet his art tutor of the day. His week had been as usual but Nishinoya felt happier and happier as his rendezvous approached. Well, art lesson officially.

Yamaguchi noticed the ball of happiness that lived with him and had a hard time acting as if he didn't see it. Nishinoya had always been unpredictable, when happiness came, he made everything better, he cooked more, did the chores and even vacuumed though he hated that because of the noise.  
When his roommate came back he didn't have anything to do and wondered how the ravenette had done with his work schedule and his sleepless nights.

The coffee shop wasn't crowded in customers and Nishinoya sighed in relief, he was still feeling unwell when he was in a place with too many people, he had been reluctant at first, but Azumane had looked way too excited when he had accepted his proposition, he couldn't step back now.  
Someone came to him, it was a small guy, but taller than the ravenette by a few centimeters, short light brown hair and a concentrated face as he was looking at one of his co-worker who was tall and messy.

"Good afternoon sir, are you alone? Or waiting for someone?" The waiter asked, looking behind Nishinoya.

"I guess someone is waiting for me, or maybe I'm here first... A tall guy, an art student, tanned and gentle aura around him."

"Ah” The brunet exclaimed without a lot of surprise in his voice. ” You're Azumane's friend, right? He arrived one hour ago. He's upstairs." He replied as he showed Nishinoya to the staircase. "I'll come later to take your order."

 _Ok. Calm down Yû it'll be like usual, except you're not naked or in the corridor._ He tried to reassure himself as he climbed the stairs slowly. The atmosphere in the small coffee shop was pleasurable, people weren't loud and it reminded him of the library. He wanted to look for Azumane but instead, was drawn to the huge veranda, some customers were outside, enjoying the sun and chatting. Nishinoya realized the huge tree that reached the bay window, it wasn't in flower but some buds were already half-open, giving a nice pinkish color to the branch.

“Nishinoya-san?" A soft voice spoke next to him, he turned his head and was pleased to see a face he recognized.

Azumane somehow looked more confident, he was in his casual clothes but Nishinoya had never seen him wearing theses at college, even his messy bun didn't seem so messy. An unintentional “Wow" left the smaller man lips, which resulted in a blush appearing on the tanned face. To be honest, the nature of their relationship was still a mystery to Nishinoya, were they friends? Did he want to be friends with Azumane or something more? Boyfriends or girlfriends didn't matter to him, he focused on his partner's soul and not his appearance, it was something he found stupid. Bodies weren't reflecting who you were in his point of view.

“ I didn't know this coffee shop, it's a nice place," The ravenette said as he rubbed his neck and glanced around them. He followed Azumane to the table where his art materials were arranged. “ The waiter told me you've arrived one hour ago, I see you didn't waste your time. “ He commented, noticing some sketches on the student's table.

“ Well, I like this place, the feeling I have when I draw here is different from when I'm in classes or at my place. “ Azumane chuckled with a shy smile. He took his art book and gave it to Nishinoya. “ I..I didn't really know what subject was interesting you so I took this book it's really easy to read and they're many references in ! “

“ That's understandable, my roommate disappears sometimes when he lost inspiration, it's kinda scary because he has never told me where his inspirational place is. But he always comes back with his sketchbook full of drawings. “ Nishinoya said half whispering, he was concentrated on the book he was holding, Azumane had already put small paper notes in the pages and colorful bookmarks were sticking out. He didn't realize the waiter from before was standing next to him, silently waiting for his order. The taller man was at his second one, he gave the menu to Nishinoya which politely declined, saying he wasn't hungry or thirsty. He had to insist a tad as he saw the perplexed face of Azumane. He couldn't reveal his true reason, of course, luckily he had drank before coming.

After thirty minutes lost in the paragraphs and pictures, Nishinoya stretched his arms and noticed a chocolate gaze observing him. He had seen his gaze so much he knew he was being drawn.

“ 1500yens per hour for the private session “ He joked with a giggle.

“ I'm sorry ! “ The art student apologized confused. “ You were so focused I thought I shouldn't disturb you..And since you didn't ask me anything then I start drawing. “ He remarked, averting his eyes. He stopped sketching the model and closed his sketchbook. However, Nishinoya was faster than him and grabbed his precious sketchbook before Azumane had put it back in his bag. He couldn’t imagine what he had done but since he had started, he wouldn’t stop here.

“ May I take a look at my drawing? “ He asked with a wide smile.

“ I..It's only sketches and proportions exercises..But if you want, go on Nishinoya-san. “ His Apollo nodded.

Finally, he had the coveted sketchbook in his hands. He took a deep breath and started, being sure he wouldn't see sketches he wasn't supposed to see. He knew how much Yamaguchi hated when people looked at all his sketchbook when he had allowed them to look at only one drawing, and he didn't want to be disrespectful with Azumane.

“ You can drop the '-san' you know. “ He requested, mind focused on what he discovered, he didn't expect to look so great in the student's style. Azumane had drawn his face a lot, his focused face, Nishinoya didn't realize how stupid he could look when he was reading. Tongue out, biting lips, furrowed eyebrows, all his expressions were drawn on the paper. “You're really talented."

“I practiced a lot! But I have to improve. I'm still a beginner."

“A talented beginner!" Nishinoya corrected.

“ You're too kind, Nishinoya-san" Azumane replied, hand reaching for his neck as he looked away.

“ Drop the '-san', I said. We're not strangers now. “

“ How should I call you then?"

“ Nishinoya or Noya are both fine. “ The model declared with his proud pose and smile. Azumane nodded and Nishinoya could bet he heard him whispering his name.

It was 6:22 pm when they left the coffee shop, in the end, Nishinoya was mostly reading Azumane’s interesting book and taking notes, and the art student was drawing him. At each time he was done with his sketches, Nishinoya asked him to show them to him, he enjoyed the man’s drawing style. That’s why he restrained his happiness shout when he received a sketch of him signed and dated.

“You’re sure I can take it?!” he grinned, staring at the drawing he was carefully holding.

“Well as you said, it’s a stolen image after all.” Azumane smiled, it seemed Nishinoya’s happiness was contagious. “I could practice my expressions more in detail thanks to you. In the end you help me again and I didn’t teach you anything-” He was cut by a not so gentle nudge in the ribbing, but the smaller man couldn’t control his strength when he was joyful.

“Stop wanting to thank me Azumane-kun! Your book was so full of your notes it made the paragraphs even easier than they already were. I understand everything. You’re a good teacher” Nishinoya beamed.

“Then..we’ll meet again?”

“Of course.”

“I was wondering something.” The atmosphere suddenly turned all serious, Nishinoya tilted his head and rolled his drawing so it wouldn’t be torn in the bus or subway. Then he waited, Azumane’s hands were fidgeting and he was biting his lower lips. What was he going to ask that made him so nervous? Well could he be more nervous than that ? The other man took a deep breath and then started talking, unfazed voice, determined gazed, Nishinoya wasn’t ready for the non-shy Azumane and he hoped he didn’t turn red.

“Were you serious about the private session thing Nishinoya? I mean, If I pay you will you become my private nude model? ”

“Private model?” The smaller man repeated dismayed. He didn’t dwell on the proposition this time and answer pretty quickly. “Well, let’s make a deal. I’ll be your model as long as you’re giving me art lessons, no money, just lessons. Ok?”

“Thank you !” The art student rejoiced before adding a condition. “And I’ll drop the ‘-san’ if you also drop the honorific.” He said, trying to sound determined beyond the tremor in his voice.

“Alright... Azumane.” The ravenette smirked.


	6. Caring Apollo !

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeey everyone ♪,  
> I'm so sorry many things have happened during April !!  
> So here is the new chapter I hope you'll like it.  
> I planned to write something else but it seems my brain wasn't listening to me aha. 
> 
> As always thanks for the comments,likes, kudos and everything you can leave ~  
> That's like supra motivating to write for people who enjoyed my little fic ♫.
> 
> Tell me what you like or hate, if you like the pace of the fic so far ! I guess I tend to develop a lot? i don't know...  
> Feel free to talk to me on my tumblr I'm always happy to talk about Haikyuu and drowing in the hell of OTP with someone *throws cookies* .  
> (palapipu-hiro.tumblr.com)
> 
> Thanks to my new Bêta Rainette~ She did an amazing job wow.

Nightmares... When he was a child Nishinoya only had a few and even though his imagination went wild most of the time and he always had crazy dreams, but it was never scary for him. On the contrary, he enjoyed sharing his wild adventures with his friends. However, when he started rejecting his body, he didn't remember his dreams as much as before, and his nightmares were back, but it was only once a month every now and then. It wasn't bothering him at all. That's why he didn't understand how these days they were consistent as well as being more and more traumatic. He did his best to accept his body and becoming a nude model helped him improve somehow. Nonetheless, his dreams weren't encouraging.

It was like Nishinoya's subconscious was forbidding him to banish his inner demons.

He woke up at dawn, tiredness visible under his eyes and at work he had to drink coffee and endlessly take medicine for sleeping. With a discreet yawn, he extracted himself from the comfortable blanket, folded it and placed it near the bed.

“I'm going back to my room!" He whispered as his roommate nodded slowly. During the beginning of the week, Nishinoya had experienced his first sleep paralysis, probably one of his worst experience ever. He remembered the feeling of being stuck on his bed, eyes opened with an unpleasant feeling of being watched and in danger. He couldn't scream, nor he could close his eyes. And he saw it, a shadow with two bloodshot eyes, approaching him and tilting its head from left to right. To be honest, he had been so terrified he didn't remember how he got out of this situation. When he had woken up, he stayed on his bed until his stomach growled and Yamaguchi joined him, worried. Yamaguchi was slightly mad at Nishinoya for not telling him sooner about his nightmares. Both decided the following result: Yamaguchi would share his bed with him. Since of course, Nishinoya's bed was too small for his tall friend. Refusing wasn't an option, inside him he knew that sleeping with someone near him might help him relaxing. Especially when the person was one of his closest friends.

Therefore, they slept together every night, and surprisingly his nightmares decreased, possibly linked to the fact that Yamaguchi was big spooning him unconsciously. He felt secure. Despite everything, Nishinoya always made sure to leave his friend's bed before dawn so he could sleep alone a few more hours, and he realized his nightmares only came at night as when it started being bright outside he could get some normal sleep. Thus, when he wasn't at work or at the drawing session, he napped a lot.

The next drawing session was on Wednesday, and for the first time since he had begun modelling, he missed it. When he woke up from his daily nap on the couch, he felt completely drained, his sleep schedule was becoming worse. It took him a few seconds to be aware of Tanaka who was sitting on the floor next to him, his best friend was speaking with what sounded like Sugawara, explaining that Nishinoya wouldn't come because he wasn't feeling well and he apologized for the inconvenience. Frankly, if Tanaka hadn't called, Nishinoya would have fallen asleep on stage, or before on the way to college.

Nishinoya rubbed his eyes gently and yawned as he heard his friend hanging up. A small tremor indicated that Tanaka had taken a place next to him.

“Sorry, I thought that it might be better if you don't leave your apartment right now. Seriously, Bro, you look like a zombie..." Tanaka started, the tone of his voice sounded slightly concerned. “By the way, when were you going to call me?"

“Call you?" He asked, concerned as he placed his head on the other's shoulder. “What for? We saw each other last Friday"

Tanaka sighed and ruffled Nishinoya's dark messy hair, was he annoyed because Nishinoya didn't tell him about his conditions? Or was it something else? Well,the smaller man knew he had a bad habit of not telling others, even his best friend, anything related to his health.

“Call me about your promotion of course!" Tanaka announced happily. “Dude, I didn't expect to hear the news from Daichi." He added as he pinched his friend's cheek. But Nishinoya was too busy trying to recover his memory. Did he have a promotion? When? And why? He stared at Tanaka in confusion.

“Wait. What? When?!" He repeated excitedly when his brain finally got the information. He stood up and looked at his phone. He found it in his bathroom and went back to the couch where cake and beers were waiting for him on the table, so as Tanaka who was grinning. He had some unread messages and indeed two were from their Chief., however it wasn't about promotion. He had to go to their headquarters before the end of the week. At that moment Nishinoya realized Tanaka's slip-up. Maybe he would have a promotion, but he wasn't supposed to know about it.

“Bro...what did Daichi say exactly?"

His best friend looked back at him as he was cutting the cake, he frowned and stopped moving. It seemed he also realized his mistake. “Wait, you haven't gone to the headquarters yet?“

“I haven't," Nishinoya nodded in affirmation. “These days I forget my phone everywhere in the apartment. I just read the message." He explained as he sat back and picked up a cherry beer. “I'll probably go tomorrow then."

“Bro...Don't tell him I told you." Tanaka begged as he facepalmed. During all of their long and eternal friendship, Tanaka had messed up more than once, so much that Nishinoya was able to deal with every situation he found himself in.

“Tell me about what?" Nishinoya smiled.

On Thursday, he took the bus and headed to their headquarters. He had slept a bit better since they spent the night together with Yamaguchi and Hinata, playing video games, arguing about how Tanaka wasn't playing fair, eating a huge pizza made with different ingredients they brought, though Hinata's pineapple part didn't get a lot of success.  
Nishinoya was an epicurean when his soul felt at peace, everything seemed to revolve around him, that's why that small 'friend therapy' might be the best for him. He wasn't really cheerful with the idea of finding sleep via his medicine, if he could get back his original sleep schedule just by spending time with his friends, it would be wonderful. He knew he couldn't sleep forever in Yamaguchi's room, and asking Tanaka to sleep at his place every night wasn't a solution either since both had their own lives.

He sighed and kept thinking about a solution, should he make a small visit at Kiyoko's office? Maybe he needed to talk about it to a professional. Unconsciously the idea of having someone other than his dear friends sleeping next to him triggered his anxiety.

“Watch out!" A voice shouted from behind him as the smaller man felt a strong grip on his arm and made him stepped back, almost at the same time he was honked at by a car that blew a cold breeze on his face. Nishinoya was stunned, he didn't realise how careless he had been. He looked at his savior and recognised the frowning face of his co-worker.

“Iwa-"

“Careless idiot!" Iwaizumi yelled as he smacked Nishinoya's head, gently enough so as to not hurt him.  
“That was dangerous, what were you thinking?! You could have been hit by that car and with your body, you wouldn't have had much of a chance." The taller man lectured. At that moment he was probably the most scared, Nishinoya understood that.  
But when he heard him talking about his body he automatically frowned and broke his grip on Nishinoya's arm. Iwaizumi stopped his speech, paralysed. He knew his colleague’s hatred against his body because of another one of Tanaka’s slip ups.  
He ruffled his short dark hair and cleared his throat. "..Huh..I'm sorry." He mumbled, crossing his arms and looking at the headquarter building.

Nishinoya had worked with Iwaizumi quite a lot, he knew how this man was thinking and how important his friends and partners were for him. He couldn't be mad at him for being worried. He smiled gently and patted his friend's shoulder.

“It's ok. But you're right I was completely away, like I didn't realise I left the bus." He explained.

“For real? Well, it's true you look like someone who had done one full week of work without resting properly."

“No, I've been lucky my schedule was pretty light this week." Nishinoya laughed. “By the way, do you know that guy?" He asked as he pointed a man standing at a few meter from them, watching him intensely but the man quickly started panicking when he saw that he had been noticed. When Iwaizumi turned around, the man had disappeared in a street nearby.

“Hm?"

“...Weird. Well, let's go. I don't want to keep the Chief waiting." Nishinoya declared, grabbing his friend's sleeve and tugging on it. However he glanced behind them occasionally, just in case. But he didn't see the guy anymore.

When they arrived at Daichi's office, both started feeling a bit stressed, Iwaizumi's shoulders were tensed, his face was serious and his fingers were fidgeting. Nishinoya was used to coming here, most of the time because of their behaviors with Tanaka. Yet, Daichi was satisfied with them. He looked at Iwaizumi and decided to knock on the door.

“Come in!”

They took a few seconds to breath. And they entered.  
They were welcomed by confettis and cheers, Nishinoya noticed Tanaka smiling like usual and throwing confettis at him. All their co-workers were here and a banner which was written  
« Congratulations Iwaizumi Hajime & NishinoyaYû » was hanging behind Daichi's desk. They stayed speechless, covered in multicolor paper shreds until Daichi spoke and made the situation clear.

“It's been a while that you're working for the company, that's only natural for us to reward our good members. Since the day you both started working here, I have rarely had to complain about your professionalism, expect for you Noya when I take the risk to pair you with Tanaka.“ Daichi shook his head as Nishinoya and Tanaka giggled, he walked toward them and smiled widely. Gave a glass to both and walked back to his desk for toasting the two members. “I hope you'll enjoy this small party and congratulation for your promotions !“

Nishinoya spent his friday on the couch, he didn’t have a hangover but he was broken by the stiffness of his body due to the small “Let’s see who is the stronger at fighting conquest”. It had been a while that he didn’t practice and Aone beat him just after he beat Tanaka and Ennoshita. The winner was, without a lot of surprise, Iwaizumi. Daichi said it was because he had more paperwork to do now.  
He grabbed his phone and realized he had some unread messages. Since he hadn’t checked his phone it didn’t confused him. Five were from Sugawara who was lecturing him for not taking care of himself, and also worrying about his health. Nishinoya laughed as he replied to him not to worry and he also apologized for the sudden cancel of the session.

→ It’s alright ! I’m glad to know you’re feeling better. I got scared when your friend called me. For the next session I was thinking of something, if you’re posing with Yachi does it bother you? I thought it might be interesting for the student to draw interactions between a couple. And since she introduced you to me I assumed she is your friend?  
→ Hmm, well I don't mind as long as we're not both naked, (can we stay in underwear ? ) What kind of pose will we have to do ? Not too intimate right ?? ( ⚆ _ ⚆ ) Yachi is my friend but i won’t go that far even for your beautiful eyes.  
→ Ah of course !! I already told Yachi about that and she proposed that both of you will be wearing casual clothes. Is it alright for you ? And for the pose you'll have to dance, the students will have to draw very quickly since you'll be moving around a lot. It's a good exercise for them ! I saw a documentary about animation and I got the idea !

As Nishinoya read the teacher's message, he got uncertain about his determination of posing with someone else next to him. He knew they would probably have to compare the two bodies in an anatomically point of view and it was a huge origin of stress for him. Luckily -or not- Yachi was someone kinda worrywart, actually more than Nishinoya was. She had a cathartic effect on him, and by seeing her being panicked, he felt like she was absorbing his stress. He hope it would be effective on the next session. He smiled as the memory of the first time he met the cute model popped in his mind, he got a bit of his motivation back and finally replied.

→ Alright, you'll be able to see my groove Suga ! You'll be amazed.  
→ I'm sure I will. And my students too, as long as you don't break something !  
→ When did I ever break something ?  
→ … On the session when I gave you a wood sword as an accessory.

 

Well, to be honest at that session Nishinoya was still stressed and since he didn't know what kind of pose he could do, he just tried to redo the one he saw in the action movie with Tanaka. Bad idea but at least, he tried and didn't hurt anyone.  
After his chat with Sugawara it was Yachi's turn, she apologized in advance because she didn't know how to dance and she didn't want to say no to the art teacher. Which was completely understandable, Sugawara's pouting face was something hard to deal with. Yachi already decided that she would look a ton of dancing video so she wouldn't step too much on Nishinoya's feet. They talked until Yamaguchi got back from college. The smaller man came to greet his roommate but he didn't find him alone. And his heart stopped beating for a few seconds, when it restarted it was an erratic beating, loud and panicked.

“Azumane!!?“ He exclaimed as he pointed the Apollo. Who looked also panicked and disorient. Yamaguchi sighed and gently patted Nishinoya's shoulder.

“He was worried about you since you didn't come at the last session, so from what Hinata told me since he was too shy to send you a message and he started being too concerned to focus on his works. That's why Hinata requested me to bring him here so he could talk face to face with you and he doesn't have to be stressed about sending a message. Though I don't think it'll make him less stressed. “ Yamaguchi explained as he started to snigger. “Well, that's our Hinata. I couldn't say no.“

In Nishinoya's case, he was way too surprised to laugh at how stressed and red Azumane was, usually he would probably make a small joke for soothing his favorite art student, but at the moment he was probably as red as him. That could explain Yamaguchi's soft giggle. In one hand he was really pleased to see him, yet in another hand he felt in danger. Not that Azumane was dangerous, of course not, but he didn't expect to see him in his own apartment, not now, not when he was lazing around in jogging and sweatshirt, with his hair undone and shadows under his eyes as noticeable as Yamaguchi's crush on his hand model. He felt like something inside him was screaming « Your personal space had been invaded ! »

“ Hey, are you alright ?“ Yamaguchi whispered to him as he rubbed his back, he didn't expect Azumane's presence to make his friend in that state and began to be concerned. “Should I tell him to go home ?“

Even if he was as stressed as Yachi, Nishinoya didn't think that option would help him. He would probably felt guilty if Azumane went back home right now. He exhaled slowly and smiled to his friend. “ No ! It's alright, sorry I spaced out, you know yesterday's kick-back.“ He said as he showed the bruise on his arms. “Take off your shoes Azumane ! “ He called out at his Apollo who was waiting silently since a few seconds. Yamaguchi made sure Nishinoya was really feeling better and he took his leave in his room, saying he had to work on his projects.  
Damn, what should I do.. Was the only objective inside the smaller man's head. He knew he could handle the situation, he couldn't screw up that much wasn't he...

“I'm sorry, I came without asking you first.“ Azumane started as he gave a plastic bag to him, from what Nishinoya could deduce, it was fruits. A lot of them. He took the bag and unrelentingly smiled widely. “Ah.I..I didn't know what you like.. And I didn't want to bother Hinata with that.“ The Apollo justified as he rubbed his neck and looked at his feet. “I was worried that you didn't come last time. But I'm glad to see you now !“ He admitted with a small shy smile Nishinoya liked so much. And the alarm in his mind stopped so as the heavy feeling of anxiety. He's a damn magician. Although, his heart was still racing like crazy.

“Thank you.“ He sang as he walked to the kitchen followed by Azumane who was looking everywhere in the small apartment, like a child that discovered a new place, was the picture Nishinoya got when he saw him. “ Want something to drink ?“

“No I won't stay long, I just wanted to see if you were alright... To be honest I was a bit scared since I didn't receive a lot of messages from you. “ Azumane mumbled, playing with the strap of his bag. “I thought you were avoiding me..“ He blurted out but quickly covered his mouth and looked embarrassed but before he could speak again, Nishinoya grabbed him by his shoulder and shook him powerfully.

“Why were you thinking that ?! Well it's true I don't use my phone as much as before but it has nothing to do with you ! And about wednesday's session I was really dead I couldn't even attend my classes I was like a turtle on its back you know ? Like being helpless and .. wait no that's not a really good metaphor..“ He panicked and took one minute for getting his idea in the right order. During that short time Azumane was able to take back his breath. From what he noticed, Nishinoya knew that his Apollo was hiding something from him. He crossed his arms and stared at the averting chocolate iris. “Why were you thinking I was avoiding you ?“ He asked again, making the taller man startled.

“You know... I thought about what I asked you at the café .. Maybe it has made you uneasy and you decided to stop being a nude model. I thought that I have freaking you out ? It was kinda creepy if you think about it. “ The student confessed with a shaking voice.

“For real ?“

“Hmm..that's also why I came today, I wanted to know if it has been the case.“ The more he spoke, the more it made an irresistible urge to hug him in Nishinoya's mind. What he saw was an adorable human being anxious about each of his acts. He wondered if Azumane had suffered from the past because of that, he didn't seem to have a lot of friends, and it bothered Nishinoya because in his point of view that man deserved all the love and support. Was he scared of losing the relationship he had with the nude model? It was true they had an awkward beginning for their friendship, but the development of it, had drastically improved. Regardless of his overflowing affection, he restrained it and became aware of how distant he had acted because of his nightmarish nights. Even Tanaka would have been worried if suddenly Nishinoya stopped talking to him.

“You know Azumane“

“What ?“

“I'm older enough to say no If i don't want something. And to be honest being your 'personal' model is probably something I really want to. I love your drawings, I enjoy seeing you drawing, I could kill anyone that say shit about you because from what I know about you Azumane Asahi, you're certainly the purest cinnamon roll I have ever met. And you just lack of confidence sometime, but that makes your charms. “ He paused, and made some weird move with his arms as he cleared his throat, he knew he wouldn't have to lie to him, and in a friendship or relationship, liars are the worst. “The thing is, since a few weeks I'm having a pretty bad sleep schedule, that's all. I have my head in the clouds, I forget my phone everywhere and when I'm not at work I nap.“

After that long declaration, they stayed silent and a bizarre atmosphere settled, both blushing and fidgeting. However, Azumane yelled and almost fell when he noticed Tanaka's head behind Nishinoya which unbeknownst to him was glad to see his best friend breaking the silence. And then he remembered that it was friday.

“So~rry Bro, I didn't want to interrupt your confession.” Tanaka hummed with a wide smile.

“It wasn't a confession stupid monk!” Nishinoya retorted even if he knew it was useless.

“Sure sure, by the way Yamaguchi told me to enter without knocking and since you're not replying to your message I thought you were sleeping.” He explained as he scanned Azumane with curiosity. “What did you steal this time Azumane-kun ?” He joked before receiving a nudge.

“I didn't steal ! I was a victim of a frame.” Azumane protested with his panicked mannerism. Yet he stopped abruptly and started looking for something inside his bag, Tanaka and Nishinoya tilted their heads and waited since they didn't know what had happened in the student's head. Then an A3 paper was showed in front of the nude model, he recognized the handwriting of Sugawara and some others from the students, Azumane's one as well. Most of them were cute recovery messages, it made him beamed. “It was a collective idea we got when we heard you wouldn't come. A..and since I planned to visit you, I was designated”

“Thanks ! I'll definitely come back. Damn I didn't expect that. Sugawara didn't tell me anything about that.” The nude model said, filled with a joyful feeling inside him.

“Hey, wanna stay for dinner ?” Tanaka proposed, leaving Nishinoya in his bubble of happiness.

“No I won't bother you any longer I'll go back.” The student refused politely, looking at his watch that indicated the end of afternoon. “Thanks for letting me in.”

“I wouldn't have let you stay outside. I'm not that mean !” Nishinoya declared, hands on his hips with his torso bumped up.

Tanaka couldn't resist and murmured to his best friend. “Not mean with him at least.” And it was the truth, but who could be mean with a guy as handsome and gentle as his dear Apollo. Only assholes from Nishinoya's experience. Tanaka left them alone as he walked to Yamaguchi's room and they started hearing him complaining about how obsessed he was with his Tsukishima dude, and how his sketchbook were full of him and not only his hands. Nishinoya wondered if he really heard the word “butt” because he didn't imagine Yamaguchi staring at someone's butt as he was drawing it. But well, he was a nude model, he knew people had probably drew his butt too. He giggled and looked at his Apollo focused on his shoelace.

Once he was ready, Azumane stood up and sighed relieved, he didn't say anything but Nishinoya guessed their small chat had cleared the clouds wrapping his Apollo's heart. However he became aware of his own mist. Was he satisfied with their current relationship? His obsession with him was a real thing, but from the time they spent together he could assure it wasn't because of curiosity, he always felt special when they were together and somehow at peace.

“Should I go with you to the station ?” Nishinoya demanded as they were at the doorstep.

“It's alright I already came in the area. I won't get lost.”

“For seeing Hinata right?”

“Yes, I didn't think you were living that close. ”

“We were here in the first place !”

This time Azumane didn't reply, he merely smiled and played with his bag's strap again. Nishinoya was used to his Apollo's mannerism, he shrugged and put his shoes on as he noticed the surprised look on the other's face.

“Wanna talk a bit more aren't you?” He asked as he quickly texted Tanaka saying he would go with Azumane to the train station. He took his coat and closed the door, Azumane's expression was jittery but he didn't refuse the other's company. They walked in silence for a few minutes, it was still a bit cold for a beginning of Spring, Nishinoya regretted not to have taken his scarf.

“I don't know how you do for always understanding me.” He pondered out loud, Nishinoya chuckled and put his hood on given that he felt his cheeks lightly hot.

“I just look a lot at people.”

“Every people?” Azumane inquired.  
Nishinoya wasn't able to see him with his field of vision restricted,but he was sure the taller man was staring at him intensely.

“Only the one I'm interested in.” He finally admitted.

After that, they made their way in silence, Nishinoya was too scared to talk again, he had just confessed his interest for his Apollo out of the blue, he wanted to scream to himself that he was stupid but he would keep that for later when he would be back at his place with Yamaguchi and Tanaka probably gossiping about him and his crush. When they arrived in front of the station he didn’t know what to do, but this time it was also Azumane who took the lead.

“I’ll see you at the next drawing session then.” He said with an asking tone.

“Yes. You’ll see my splendid groove!” Nishinoya confirmed, taking off his hood and looking in the other’s eyes. “I won’t miss another session don’t worry.”

Azumane nodded, then tried to say what he had in mind since they left the apartment. At least it was what Nishinoya guessed. “About the private session...”

Nishinoya wanted to show how motivated he was about that, he cut Azumane who was muttering things to himself and grabbed his shoulders so his handsome Apollo would look at him. “Next Saturday? I’ll be securing a music festival in the beginning of the week but the few days when I’m available are the thursday and the weekend. but as you now thursday is the drawing session.” He offered.

Azumane tilted his head and took his phone, from what Nishinoya saw, he was checking his datebook.“Saturday... “

“Something planned already?” Nishinoya wondered.

“No ! It’s alright.”

“See you next week then!” The smaller man declared with a not really hidden excitement in his voice. By habit he showed his fist to Azumane and waited for the fistbump. And it seemed the other man wasn’t used to that since he looked at it with his usual ‘what-should-I-do’ expression, what happened next was the shyest sluggish fistbump Nishinoya received, even a sleeping Yamaguchi was doing better. They stayed like that a few seconds fist against fist, people passing by looking at them. They burst out laughing, Nishinoya didn’t know if it was because of the stress relief but it was a nice thing to hear his Apollo’s laugh, he was probably too embarrassed to do anything than a nervous laugh. They waited until they had calmed down and Azumane left with a handsome smile drew on his lips.

As he had guessed, when Nishinoya went back to his place, Tanaka and Yamaguchi were already waiting for him, they were smiling like two idiots and Nishinoya couldn’t help mocking them. They ate a Bibimpab, Tanaka explained that vegetables would help Nishinoya’s body to get out of his zombie state. Eventually they started talking about the famous subject of Azumane Asahi, and then Tsukishima Kei as well. Notwithstanding, they didn’t expect Tanaka to start showing on Tv the pictures of his recent date with the beautiful Kiyoko Shimizu he was currently dating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry no private session in this chapter, BUT I swear, you'll have it in the next one. With many others surprises?  
> Have a nice day everyone !!


	7. Apollo is waiting for him. [ Part I ]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone♫  
> How have you been?  
> To be honest I didn't expect myself to be so late. It was harder than I thought to deal with job and writing. But I'll be done soon so I guess I'll have more time to write as much as I want.  
> I'm sorry for my late! Like usual *rolls away* 
> 
> As always thanks for the comments,likes, kudos and everything you can leave ~  
> And welcome to the new people who started reading this fic !
> 
> Asahi isn't really present (except in Nishinoya's mind of course aha) in this chapter, it's only the Part I you'll mostly know about Noya's days but I hope you'll still enjoy his small routine with his co-workers ! Part II will be about the famous drawing session and many others things as well !
> 
> Thanks to Bêta Rainette~ She is fast and efficient that's crazy~

The music festival Nishinoya's company had to secure wasn't a big one, yet many people were present for the opening. The guests were more or less famous, to guess which one was the « to must see », the security agents used their fans as a popularity indicator. Nishinoya started his shift with Aone, his former instructor. Since he wasn't with Tanaka, the smaller man had to behave. Daichi knew what could be the result for putting them together to secure an event like this one, but he made a fair choice and Nishinoya could only agree with that.

For today, they were assigned to the less popular band. Around twenty people were gathered and were energically cheering the musicians. After he had carefully made sure no one were armed or drunk, he joined Aone who was already communicating the situation to Daichi. He put his hands in his pockets and started playing with whatever he would find as he waited until his colleague was done.

"Found anyone weird?" Nishinoya asked as he stared at the crowd. He heard what sound like a mumbled "No" and nodded. He knew from his experience of working with him that his co-worker wasn't really talkative, only when it was required.

Despite this, it wasn't bothering him. Surprinsingly, Aone was someone Nishinoya was getting along pretty well, he didn't know if he could consider himself his friend since they only met at their workplace, but he guessed both enjoyed working together.

He looked at the sky absent-mindely since the place seemed safe for the moment.

It was starting to turn into a purple, blue-ish color and he inexorably thought about his apollo's drawings. He rarely saw him coloring and wondered which kind of palette he would use. Probably warmth color like red and yellow, not black or brown color... Right? Or maybe he liked using cold ones like blue. It was a color that suit him well and from what Nishinoya saw during their art lessons, he seemed to like it.

 

"I should ask for his colored drawings next time I see him." he whispered to himself with his lips curved in a small smile. Then he was hit by reality, he will go to Azumane's place at the end of the week! It was stressing, but he trusts him. Azumane wouldn't do something that made him feeling uneasy.

The group was done with his song. The public made a noisy applause, until another song started in another register, calmer, like a ballad.

"It's been a while since we've been pair up together. You were mostly with Daichi or Iwaizumi right? " Nishinoya wondered, taking a glimpse of the taller man who was really focused on the people. His face somehow reminded him of a Kabuki mask.

His co-worker nodded.

"You like that kind of music?"

This time, Aone shrugged, sadly Nishinoya couldn't ask about his music taste since the walkie-talkie started bipping. He pushed the speaking button and walked away from the crowd so he could hear properly his speaker.

"Yes, Nishinoya speaking."

"It's Daichi, Aone told me you don't have a lot of people to deal with, want to move? We have another group that arrived a few minutes ago and I don't know if Ennoshita will be able to handle everything all by himself since he never secured a festival."

"All right I'll go help him ! Where is he?"

"Do you have the map? It's at the 5b scene."

"Roger !" Nishinoya was more than excited to move, they couldn't enjoy the music at all since they had to focus on the security and to be honest the smaller man wanted to see a bit more of it.

With that new mission assigned, he ran back to Aone and explained the situation, he waited for the nod that allowed him to move and then left the area. He wasn't really good at reading a map, and this one was way to big for him, he fold it and started looking for the 5b scene.

After five minutes he realized he wasn't at the right place at all, nonetheless it wasn't his fault since they weren't supposed to change their area so he only knew the one he had been assigned for the day. And tomorrow he would have a new one to secure with Iwaizumi this time.

However he was more excited about the last day, where he would be in the first area who was welcoming the most popular groups, so lot of people to keep an eye on and a lot of things to do. At least, that was his expectations.

 

He kept walking until he perceived what sound like the group he had to find, he changed his pace and ran toward the source of the song. Ennoshita was relieved to see him, he looked panicked. Daichi's thought were right, as always.

"I'm sorry! I got lost."

"I expected that, I got lost too." Ennoshita smiled, scratching his arms. "I..I'm sorry you had to change your area"

Nishinoya thumb uped his friend and patted his shoulder. "No worries, It's totally understandable. Now let's go, we have a few fans to watch !"

They ended their shift passed midnight but since it was the first day, the festival had more people than anticipated. Nishinoya was able to get back to his appartment when it was 3am, he was dead tired but glad since no incidents happened during his watch. The group was a last minute one, and the organisation had been changed drastically because of it, but the musicians played their songs and everything was alright.

Plus, they didn't have a single drop of rain, which made it all better. Weather cast had been wrong once again.

 

When he opened his door, he was surprised to see Yamaguchi awake.

He was working in the living room, and a few empty cups had piled up near his material. He had his earphones on so he didn't hear his roommate coming home.

Nishinoya took the opportunity and headed to the bathroom where he quickly changed, and decided he would took a shower tomorrow. Right now his feet were stiff and he didn't have the strenght to do his daily therapy about his body.

Now in his oversized pajama, he yawned and stretched his arms.

Standing up all night in a noisy place was kinda tiring for him. He walked back to the living room and got noticed by the hard working student who got startled since he appeared from behind him.

 

He took off his earphone and smiled to him. "Hey welcome home ! How was it?"

"It was tiriiiing, I didn't know that this event was famous. Too many people.." Nishinoya whined as he sat on the sofa, and took a look at Yamaguchi's drawing. "You're working too hard you know that? Go to sleep."

"It's only midnight right? I can work a bit more." Yamaguchi protested, starring at his own drawings and looking unsatisfied. "I have to progress."

"It's 3am I went back later because of the crowd.."

"... You're joking right?" His roommate expression changed, and he realized he'd have to get up in five hours, and that was unacceptable for him since he needed his precious eight hours of sleep. He looked at his phone and sighed longly before Nishinoya grabbed him and led him to his room.

"You sleep with me tonight too?" Yamaguchi asked as he tilted his head and made sure all the light were switched off.

"If you don't mind my small presence in your giant bed." The smaller man said as he made himself cosy in his blanket.

"Do you still have nightmares? You sound more relaxed theses days."

Nishinoya burried his head in the comfortable pillow and tried to recall his recent nights, it was true he didn't have a terrific nightmares since a few days. Was he able to sleep back alone now?

"I don't know.. Sorry." He mumbled, a bit disappointed about his state. He didn't want to be a burden but he couldn't help seeking for someone's compagny when he had to sleep. He was scared of his nightmares.

Yamaguchi instantely realized his friend's thought and sat next to him with his sympathetic aura around him. He rubbed the smaller man's back and tried to reassure him. "You don't have to apologize, it's alright you know. I guess I'm a good nightmare catcher." He joked, which made Nishinoya smiled.

 

"Good thing for Tsukishima" He smirked and as a replied received a slap on his lower back. It's been a while he hadn't hear the taller man complaining about him, maybe things were better between them. After that, tiredness knocked them out, they both took their places and as usual Nishinoya nestled against Yamaguchi's back. He didn't even take the time to check his phone, he knew Tanaka had probably send a message about his day, and maybe one from his Apollo was waiting for him. But he would read them tomorrow, for now he was sleeping in Morphee's arms.

After Azumane's surprise visit, his mind had been focused on the private session and it seemed that his nightmares weren't his priority. As a matter of fact, he woke up sometimes feeling afraid with a concerned Yamaguchi next to him asking if he needed anything. Still, it was less frequently than usual.

As he had guessed, securing a crowded place had triggered his antisocial mode. Nishinoya was someone joyful and open to anything new in his life, yet when it was about socializing he couldn't help but feeling a bit reluctant. Not like he hated the unknown but it was stressful for him and his inner demon. For work it didn't bother him since the new faces he discovered quickly became a part of his daily routine, colleagues, friends, employers. As long as it was expected Nishinoya wasn't against meeting with people. But in this current case, he wasn't aware of the popularity of the band playing in the first area. As a result he had felt nauseous and was forced to take a break as soon as Daichi noticed his state.

"Feeling better now Nishinoya ?" Daichi asked while handing a bottle of water to his co-worker.

The security guard nodded without a word and weakly sipped his drink. Yesterday, when he had been pair-up with Iwaizumi, everything had been alright and he couldn't stop making fun of his co-worker's story. It seemed a lot of things had happened to him when he was at the hospital. Furthermore he enjoyed the music style.

Not like today. Nishinoya breathed slowly and watched from afar the crowd gathered together around the scene. He took a glimpse of Iwaizumi as strict as usual in his look, and Aone who had been called as a backup.

"Is it really fine for you to leave ? I mean you're the Chief after all." He wondered after he was done drinking and taking back his composure. He heard Daichi's giggle which made him starring unsure.

"You sound really mature today, is it because I separated you from Tanaka ? " The taller man supposed as he took place next to Nishinoya. "Besides, I can't leave a subordinate when he isn't feeling fine." He added, during his quick streching exercises.

"Yeah... You know, without Tanaka, it's different." Nishinoya pouted with some girlish gesture. "It's been a while since I knew him, he's used to my way of working and same goes for me. But more seriously, I'm not used to mingle with the crowd." He finally admitted. "I guess I have my social interactions full until next year."

"And yet you're still working here." Daichi remarked.

" Well I like the team, and who know. If I change my job it may be hard to find a place as good as this one with nice co-workers and chief. Plus." He paused and looked at the other man with a wide smile. " You won't be able to handle Tanaka without me."

They kept chatting about every subjects that came to their minds until the Chief's walkie-talkie started bipping, he left for replying and Nishinoya took the opportunity to send a morse message to his friend. Tanaka was working with Ennoshita and for an unknown reason it was stressing his best friend.

 

"C'mon I have been more than polite with you, who do you think you are ?! " A voice stopped his activity and he started looking for the man who sounded annoyed and drunk.

He quickly noticed two big guys surrounding someone. From afar Nishinoya only guessed it was a lady by her thin silhouette and long straight black hair, she was alone and didn't seem to care about the guys, which made them angrier. The security guard took a big breath and headed to them, not hearing Daichi calling him. One of the guy caught the lady's arm and it matched with the moment Nishinoya arrived right behind them. However, before he could so anything, what he saw amazed him and he stayed dumbstruck. The elegant lady did what looked like a special hold and the previous drunkard was now rolling in pain at their feet. The other one thought a few seconds before he decided to run away as he yelled some flowerish insults.

Now that he was near her, he realised she was taller than him. And Nishinoya also noticed a mole he knew. She stayed silent and her expression showed suprise and … fear.

"BEHIND YOU !" Daichi's voice echoed.

Nishinoya quickly reacted and was aware of the drunkard who was going to punch him, or her. He stayed calm and placed the lady behind his back so he could protect her, he knew how to stop that kind of actions, he was used to that and had practiced a lot. He waited for the good moment and caught the arm that arrived soon near his face. So he was aiming for her, that bastard. Angry and confused with his impromptu meeting he made a rather strong grip on the arm which made the other man bending naturally.

Daichi arrived and asked Nishinoya to stop his hold or he was going to break an arm. Security guards can't arm other people without a good reason. Luckily the guy was drunk so they could explain the situation more easily. He hated dealing with drunkard, they were acting weirdly, and the smell of alcohol was something disgusting when it was mixed with different odors like sweat, vomit, et cetera.

He let his Chief handle the situation and looked back at the cause of that ruckus. She was still behind his back, she hadn't move an inch and the more Nishinoya was starring, the more her demeanor indicated her awkwardness.

"You can go, I'll explain the situation. I don't think you want to be the center of attention." He said kindly with his smiling face and a gentle pat on the other's back.

She nodded as she was thanking him, walked away and disappeared in the crowd. Maybe he had dreamt, maybe he had been wrong with her identity. But he knew he couldn't forget a face. Especially not this one. Once the incident was settled, both went back to work and he focused on his job more than usual. It ended without a new commotion. He was lectured by Daichi for letting the lady left since they would need her testimony but Nishinoya explained he would get it since she was an acquaintance.

Finally, he was done with the Music festival. He was tired and just wanted to spend his day lazying around until the drawing session time, but he wasn't allowed to. Yamaguchi had some exams and he needed a model for his experience, of course Nishinoya was designated compulsory. He said goodbye to his hands and arms, the jewelry student was drawing different design for rings and bracelets. Sometimes asking for his advice, but luckily he let his roommate sleeping as long as he was able to move his hands. From his understanding, Yamaguchi had to take a picture of a random hand and design some jewel that would suited his model the must. It was interesting for Nishinoya to realised how Yamaguchi was seeing his hands in an artistically point of view. Most of the jewel were light and delicate. He knew when his friend was going to break out when he saw the skull with spike bracelet.

 

"C'mon, you really think I'd wear that ?! **"** He laughed.

"Why not, with a leather jacket and a more spiky hairstyle !" Yamaguchi retorted adding some hearts to his design.

"Time to take a break right ?"

"Yeah, I have enough design for the moment I'll focus on the best and maybe use your hand again."

"Anytime. You're my personal dream catcher I own you that at least."

They exchanged a knowing look and went outside to their favorite coffee shop where they talked about the week's event. Nishinoya didn't tell anyone about his meeting, and just explain how tiring his days had been. Yamaguchi, without a doubt, had tried a move on his precious hand model but no news since that days. They gossiped about the upcoming private drawing session and realized how calm they were without Tanaka, who was probably sleeping. They tried to stop by his place but the curtain were on and his phone was off.

After they ate many pastries and their energy were back, they took different roads, Yamaguchi going to the librairy and Nishinoya slowly heading to the classroom.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pastries are the best when you feel down or stressed by life ♫ In my case at least aha.  
> See you in the next chapter !


End file.
